Feeling Respected: A Guide to Your Emotions

PUBLISHED May 6th, 2021 & UPDATED ON Nov 28th, 2022

Let’s start this convo off with a question. What comes to mind when we say “respect?” Thank you. Yes, Aretha Franklin WAS the correct answer. Now, what comes to mind when we ask “Are you feeling respected?”

No one really asks if you feel respected these days. It’s not like it’s a common greeting. “Hi, Michelle! Long time no see. Are you feeling respected these days?” Really…feeling like you’re not respected is a much more common occurrence. But, you’re not here to talk about that! So, let’s discover more about feeling respected!

A Deeper Look at Feeling Respected

When we think about feeling respected, what comes to mind? A relationship, your family, work, a friendship…maybe all of the above? Respect is something that is part of every aspect of our lives whether we recognize it or not. Why? Because respect is when we accept someone as they are, for who they are. That means accepting them even when they are different from us in some way, or differ from us in opinion. Respect creates trust between people, helps us feel safe, and keeps communication open and easy.

Think about your relationship with your partner. When you feel respected by your partner, you feel like your input, dreams, desires, your job, your happiness, your interests…everything matters! A respectful relationship is full of equality and patience, kind honesty, and respect for boundaries. And, when conflict arises, you respect each other enough to know how to approach the issue and talk it out.

Family relationships require respect too! Respect can come from many shared experiences, but it was hopefully taught to you as a child as well. When you literally live with the same people from the time you’re born until the time you move out, you can feel a bit entitled to a person and their time (“Mommmm! Mommy! Mama!”). Respect comes from learning to love and accept the other people in your family by recognizing their interests, personality, and right to space and autonomy.

When we’re at work, we want to feel respected by our colleagues, bosses, clients…you name it! Respect in the workplace builds trust, gets people excited about coming in to work, and helps them feel like they have a purpose as they come into work every day. Who wouldn’t want to feel like they’re wanted, needed, and respected at work? We certainly do!

How Feeling Respected Shows Up Mentally:

No one really sits around thinking about how an emotion they’re experiencing is a byproduct of feeling respected. But your eyes aren’t about to believe what they’re going to read! (Or maybe they will. We don’t know your eyes!) When you’re feeling respected, you’ll feel:

Safe
Free to express yourself without fear of judgement
Confident
A sense of purpose
An increased self-worth

When you think about it, this list makes a lot of sense! When you feel respected, your mindset ends up in a far more positive place. And your outlook on the world, and towards other people, is ALSO that of respect. Omg, it’s like an endless respect cycle. WE LOVE THAT!

How Feeling Respected Shows Up Physically

As you read this, you might be thinking “But DiveThru, how can an emotion like respect show up physically?” Well, be ready to have your mind BLOWN! You’ll be surprised at how many ways feeling respected can impact us physically. It can:

Improve relationships and friendships
Improve job performance
Increase motivation
Increase self-care

There are so many ways that feeling respected can pop up. Your body and mind are probably feeling SO freaking amazing right now and you’re just along for the ride and enjoying it! (Kind of like a cruise, but instead of the ocean, you’re sailing on the open waters of respect. Aretha would LOVE that for you!)

5 Ways to Embrace Feeling Respected:

We’re going to take you back to Aretha ONE. MORE. TIME. Woooo!!! Okay, remember what she said about respect? “R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me.” So, let’s find out what it means to you! How do you do that? By embracing the emotion in these 5 helpful ways!

1. Connect with a Friend

Celebrating is always so much more fun when it’s not done all by yourself. So, call up your best friend in the WHOLE WORLD and have a little celebration with them! Plus, your bestie will hype you up and make you feel like you’re deserving of all the respect in the world!!!

2. Practice Meditation

Really sit with, and connect to, this feeling of respect. Practicing meditation is the perfect way to do this! It allows you to experience this emotion, remember it, and cultivate it within yourself. Try a free guided meditation on YouTube if you aren’t sure where to start with your meditation practice.

3. Journal

Write down the good stuff! As humans, we often hold onto negativity and remember the bad shit, rather than the good. So journal about this amazing feeling! That way, when you’re going through some rough stuff, you can look back on what you’ve written and remember how you felt, and why you felt that way.

4. Engage in Compassionate Self-Talk

It’s nice to be respected by others, but what about feeling respect for YOURSELF? Woaahhhhhhh!!!!! Yep, we switched it up on you! Compassionate self-talk is basically you being nice to yourself and respecting yourself. External validation and respect can feel amazing, but when it comes from ourselves, it’s a whole different and wonderful story. So, go on and be nice to yourself!

5. Engage in Something Creative

We don’t know about you, but we always feel AMAZING after we do something creative (it’s fun for your brain!). It helps us practice mindfulness in a super joyful setting, and allows us to connect to feelings of both joy and respect at the same time!

Welp, we’re all out of things to tell you about respect for the moment. We hope that you learned a little bit more about this emotion (and how to feel it all the time) because you deserve to feel respected! We want only the best for you always!