When I first submitted Hemispheres for publishing a few years ago, it was rejected by Philip K. Dick's publisher for immediacy issues. I told the editor I'd work on it, then immediately queried, "What the hell is immediacy?" Immediacy issues are created when authors have the assumption that readers read books. Readers actually read themselves reading the book (second-order cybernetics; see the book I am a Strange Loop). When distancing language is used, then readers end up reading themselves reading a book about a character who is also reading themselves. This creates a fourth degree of separation which decreases the impact of your writing. Applying this, we can reduce distancing language.

Before:
He heard the wind and looked over to see the ships on the shore, feeling sad.

After:
The wind scraped across his ears. The triangular sails rose over the horizon, each wave bringing everyone home to joyous arms, except her.

If the philosophy's a bit abstract, the key takeaway is to avoid using the following words in your writing. It is okay to use them in dialogue, and when describing other characters' actions, but using them while narrating the main character ruins immersion. The biggest offenders are looked, saw, watched, listened, and heard. Removing these words will also force you to show not tell.