How to accept people as they are?

By Sandeep Kulshrestha

Accepting people as they are, can be a challenging task, but it is an important aspect of building healthy relationships and fostering a positive and inclusive environment around us. Everyone is unique and different, and the brain wiring is also different in all of us.  Here are some tips that can help:

Practice empathy: Try to put yourself in their shoes and understand their perspective. This can help you appreciate their point of view and build a deeper connection with them.

Avoid judgment: Avoid making assumptions or jumping to conclusions about someone based on their appearance, behavior, or background. Everyone has their own unique story, and it's important to be open-minded and non-judgmental.

Focus on the positive: Instead of dwelling on someone's flaws or weaknesses, focus on their strengths and positive qualities. This can help you appreciate their unique talents and contributions.

Communicate consciously: Be clear and direct when communicating with others and avoid passive-aggressive or judgmental language. This can help you build trust and avoid misunderstandings.

Practice self-reflection: Take the time to reflect on your own biases and prejudices, and work to overcome them. This can help you become more accepting and inclusive of others.

Remember, accepting people "as they are" is a continuous process. It takes time, effort, and a willingness to learn and grow. By practicing empathy, avoiding judgment, focusing on the positive, communicating effectively, and practicing self-reflection, you can build stronger, more inclusive relationships with those around you. When you read these lines, just close your eyes for a couple of minutes and imagine such individuals with whom you either did not have enough rapport or you actually did not feel so much positive about their presence in your circle but with time you understood them better. I am sure many of us have these experiences. 

In positive psychology we look at exploring the positive. You can visualize all your past interactions with the people currently you are in conflict with and journal it down. This would help you in understanding them better and accepting them with their strengths and limitations. It is also good for our health if we accept people as we are as it makes us relaxed from within. I am not recommending accepting toxic people but those who are around you and can be described as good people with positive intentions. It is a process that would need to you to change the way you look at people and their ideas. Always remember that the others are biologically different than you, they also had different kind of parenting and they have been conditioned differently than you. 

When you actually internalize these thoughts, things would surely change, for the better. To end, I would use the rhetorical phrase (which is actually true) - We have just one life. Less biased and prejudiced we are, we can rejoice all aspects of life beautifully!