Okay, so this is a strange, seemingly unrelated topic, what do shoes have to do with emotions?
Well, it’s really about empathy and being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes.
We all know the world can be a harsh place to live in sometimes and people can be a tough crowd.
We experience our lives in different ways and have different perspectives.
Although, one thing that we all share in common is challenges.
Sometimes our challenges can be so tough we are completely immersed in them and not even aware of others around us, or that they are also immersed in their own challenges.
On a global, collective, level the challenges of the world affect all of us and we just try and make things work.
Survival mode is the name of the game for most human beings, and learning to calm our nervous systems is a new game we all need to learn how to play.
The point is, in survival mode, it’s not that easy to care about others and wonder how they are doing, and we become desensitized from a constant bombardment of information and stimulation.
Our self-awareness has taken a plunge and with this our levels of empathy, our ability to be able to see or feel how another might be feeling.
Put yourself in someone else’s shoes the next time you feel impatient when a waitress isn’t serving you as you expect her to, or when the petrol attendant is being very slow, or when the car in front of you is driving very slowly, or when your family members are being needy or pushy with you, or when your child is crying without an end in sight, or when a co-worker is being rude. Can you think of something in your own life?
It’s not easy to put ourselves in the shoes of those who offend us or trigger us, but if we attempt it we might be surprised, and we will also learn compassion this way, we will soften and open just a little bit.
Sometimes, not everything is about us.
Ask yourself: Is there someone else’s shoes I need to put on just for a second or two? Am I an empathetic person or do I shut other people out?