Mental health experts share their best active listening tips to get started emotionally supporting the people you love most.
Its awkward, but understandable.
(Who wants to spend time with someone who is seemingly not interested in you and your needs?)
In our busy lives, we hear a lot of people.
After a while of this, partners stop sharing and talking and begin to stonewall one another.
They stop feeling loved or even asking for what they need, or expressing how they feel.
licensed clinical psychologist in New York City
When people feel really heard, respect and partnership grows.
You dont need to buy fancy gifts to make someone feel special.
Sometimes all it takes is truly listening to what they have to say.
How can you tell if someone isnt actually listening?
Its easy to tell when someonemaybe even yourselfisnt practicing active listening.
Or, of course, scrolling through their phone or texting as youre speaking to them.
Active listening cannot occur with a screen also present, he says.
All of these instances can make someone feel unheard and even ignored.
We may not have learned them in our families, and we do not learn them in school.
licensed clinical psychologist in New York City
Tell yourself that you are committed to finding the gold in the speaker, he says.
Remind yourself that everyone has something useful to offer.
You are essentially committing to being the student and letting the speaker be the teacher.
(Read: Put your phone away.)
you could also demonstrate that youre listening with both verbal and non-verbal cues during the conversation.
Ask clarifying questions and convey understanding, he says.
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