Empathy! If we practice empathy for our partners and ourselves…we have great growth opportunity both personally and in the relationship. Some of the deepest and most loving connections are those where each person in the relationship was able to nurture and show compassion for themselves and their partner to work through past baggage.
Loving another is putting yourself in their shoes and wishing for them to be the best person they can be. It is encouraging their authentic self with all the strengths and weaknesses and being invested in supporting the making of a whole self. Creating interdependent relationships where two whole selves are operating on an adult level is the ultimate. This is hard to do without self-compassion and empathy for your partner.
by Karyl McBride, Ph.D
image Frank Dicksee – Romeo and Juliet.
