Have you ever stopped to think about how many times a day you make judgments about people, situations, or events? It's a common habit that we all engage in. For instance, when we meet someone, we tend to judge how they look and make assumptions about their lifestyle.

<ul><li>Wider horizons: Looking at circumstances without judgment allows you to consider additional perspectives outside of your own awareness and gain helpful insights into what other people experience. It can also help you increase empathy and compassion for people who may be different from you.</li><li>More positivity: Judgment comes from a place of negativity. Being less judgmental allows you to view the world with a more positive outlook.</li><li>Improved relationships: Feeling judged alienates others and makes it hard for them to trust you. </li></ul>

Benefits of Being Less Judgmental 

Expand Your Horizons Expose yourself to new ideas and perspectives. Meet new people and talk to them about their lives. Experiment with different activities and try new foods. Read lots of books and watch informative content. Travel as much as you are able to.

Practice PositivityWith practice, you can develop a more positive mindset. If you catch yourself thinking something negative about something or someone, challenge yourself to see something positive in the situation instead.You can also take a few minutes every night to list the good things that happened that day and be thankful for all the things you’re grateful for.You can choose to do this exercise by yourself in your mind. Or you can note it down in a journal or practice it with a loved one.

Question Your Assumptions If you have a negative view of someone, ask yourself what it’s based on. Did you formulate your view based on facts? Do you have all the relevant information or do you need to inquire further about the situation? Make an effort to explore all the possible sources of information before coming to a conclusion. If this isn’t possible, consider leaving your opinion neutral or open-ended.

Recognize Your Biases Be aware of your own biases and cultural standards. Recognize that your own view of life is limited based on your own experiences.Remember that other people with different cultural, social, professional, religious, or ethnic backgrounds may not share the same views. Try to put yourself in their shoes and see things from their perspective.

Judgment is a cognitive ability that helps us assess people, situations, and relationships based on the sensory evidence available to us to come to conclusions and make decisions.It’s important for us to wield it carefully and not be overly critical of others.

What Judgement Really Is

Pay Attention to Your Thoughts The first step is to recognize that you’re doing it. Start paying more attention to your thoughts, so you can identify when you’re being judgmental. Look for thoughts or phrases like: <ul><li>“What is [person] doing/saying/wearing?"</li><li>"[Person] should be doing [action] instead of [action].”</li><li>“This [person/thing] is so [negative adjective].”</li></ul>

6 Ways to Be Less Judgmental 

Being judgmental means looking at things through a lens of criticism

Did this resonate with you? I just wrote an article on how we get automatic negative thoughts that hinder our judgement, <a href="https://medium.com/@parakhkatyal/negativity-hinders-judgment-5873fd87051e">here’s a link. </a>

Be Empathetic Practice empathy and compassion for people, even if they look, think, dress, speak, or act differently than you do.Think about how you have felt when someone formed an opinion of you that wasn’t accurate. Did you feel hurt, angry, upset, ashamed, embarrassed, or disappointed? Let those feelings guide you toward being more compassionate toward others.

This article explores the characteristics of judgmental people, discusses the benefits of being more open-minded, and suggests some ways to be less judgemental.

MEGHAN MARCUM, PSYD, CHIEF PSYCHOLOGIST AT AMFM HEALTHCARE

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