Judgement is usually fear based, rooted in the "Us versus Them" internal driver common to most species. Given that judgement is based on fearful imaginings (conscious or unconscious) releasing judgement helps to reduce fear and anxiety. Cultivating compassion is a helpful tool to break patterns of judgement. It is more than just empathy, and the desire to listen, understand, and help fosters emotional intelligence. Compassion can decrease depression as well as anxiety, and by promoting problem solving and empathic support in place of aggression it improves both interpersonal and professional relationships.
Ways to practice compassion include speaking kindly, listening for understanding, accepting people for who they are, apologizing when you make a mistake, being happy for someone else’s success, and offering to help when you can. Simple things, like holding a door open for someone, can brighten that person’s day and spread a ripple of goodwill. Compassion for self includes hushing that inner critic, learning to let go of old beliefs that inhibit your ability to be happy, encouraging yourself to do better instead of talking bad about yourself in your head, and choosing to be around others who support you rather than those who criticize you.
You hear about newly formed holidays like National Cookie Day or National Set a Good Example Day. I’d like to propose a National Compassion Day, a day when we do not lay judgement on anyone, especially not on ourselves, and instead bring compassion to all we hear, see and do. Or perhaps we could experiment with using compassion as our default approach to self and others every day. It can be surprising how small things can bring great changes.