An accent is not a mistake in need of correction.

An accent is a record of where someone has lived and which languages have shaped their mouth. It is not an error, and treating it as something to be corrected treats a person’s history as a defect. Everyone has one, and only some people are told about theirs.

When you notice yourself struggling to follow, ask for a repeat kindly and put the effort on your side of the exchange. And if you have been made self-conscious about your own way of speaking, remember that clarity is a shared responsibility rather than a standard one person is failing to meet.