What Is Empathy?
Empathy is the word used to describe your care, compassion, sympathy and understanding towards another person’s feelings, viewpoint, emotions and perspective.
In other words you can see things from the other person’s point of view.
Having empathy will stop you being indifferent to others.
Some people are naturally more empathetic than others but we at I AM L.I.P believe we all have some within us. It just needs to be brought to the surface.
What are the two different types of empathy?
There are two different types of empathy
- Emotional empathy – This is where you can feel what another person is feeling. Or you can understand the feeling. If someone is joyous at an achievement you may smile and grin watching them elated.
- Cognitive empathy – This is when you can recognise another person’s emotional and mental state. For example, you are able to recognise that another person is distraught or angry. This recognition will allow you to handle the situation better and react accordingly.
Why is empathy important?
An empathetic person is often a great listener and adviser. They develop strong relationships with others and people learn to trust them.
Being empathetic can achieve the following:
- It will encourage people to approach you and talk to you.
- It will make people around you feel heard.
- People will connect with you.
- People will be honest with you.
If you lack empathy how can you come across?
If you lack empathy you could come across as insensitive to others, cold hearted, and impatient. You will tend to have misunderstandings with others and get into arguments quickly. You can say the most insensitive things at the most inappropriate moments and your behaviour and words can cause hurt.
You can also be seen as overly critical.
Others may walk on eggshells around you.
What can cause you to have a lack of empathy?
There are many reasons why you may lack empathy. They are:
- Being bullied when you were younger may decrease your level of empathy
- The detachment required within certain jobs such as a doctor with patients can make them less empathetic.
- Other people can be less empathetic for self protection
- Mental health issues can cause a person to be less empathetic. As can development issues and personality disorders.
What can you Improve Your empathy Skills?
It is possible to improve and develop your empathy skills. We have listed some tips you can do that may help you improve your empathy skills. A combination of all these tips can do wonders. Slowly try these tips, take your time and ease yourself into them. You will succeed!
Investigate, read about and learn about other points of views or things outside your scope of knowledge and experience
Read up and watch documentaries about other people, religions, societies, cultures and countries different from your own. Learn about what people with disabilities face everyday and what they feel, what issues they face and how certain situations feel like. Listen to podcasts about other peoples experiences. Make friends with people with different backgrounds to yourself who can give you a different perspective about things. Watch movies from different genres, from different cultures and about different subject matters to what you normally watch.
Knowledge, awareness, and understanding of the world around you and of the people around you will help make you more empathetic.
Know that being empathetic is not a sign of weakness
Feeling compassion, listening to another’s point of view, compromising and taking someone else into consideration is NOT a sign of weakness. It will not weaken your position or make you vulnerable. In fact it is a sign of courage.
Indifference to others does not make you strong, powerful or make you feel safe.
Open yourself up to others
If you start talking and opening up about your feelings, needs and emotions then others will do the same with you. You will also slowly become comfortable talking about emotions which will make you receptive to others talking about their emotions.
Doesn’t matter what anyone thinks
It is no consequence what anyone thinks of you when you listen, show compassion, or understand another’s point of view. In fact only one or two ignorant people will think you’re weak. The majority of people will think of you as a lovely, kind, and caring person.
Improve your listening skills
This is a very important aspect of improving your empathetic skills. Listening will allow you to place yourself in someone else’s shoes, to understand their feelings, and get a gasp of what they may need to feel better and better their problem. Actively listen and nod your head as you understand what is being said. This will also show the other person you are listening. Try not to interrupt the other person as they are speaking so you don’t stop their flow. Take notes if you have to reply so you don’t forget things being said.
Try to stop judging people
This is one point that requires real effort. It is so easy to comment, have an opinion and judge others especially with your own standards. The day you start to stop judging others and start putting yourself in others shoes is the day your levels of empathy will go sky high.
Learn about identifying body language
Listening is about verbal communication. Body language is about non verbal communication. It will require you to be observant. Relaxed shoulders may be the sign of someone who is calm, whereas tense shoulders and crossed arms may be the sign of someone who is apprehensive
If you have any more knowledge about improving your empathy skills please let us know on our forum and social media! Share some of your thoughts with others and start a conversation.
DISCLAIMER
Before you start any new diet, health programme, exercise routine, and ingest or topically use any oil, vitamin, mineral, product or compound, it is very important to consult your doctor, therapist or do a patch test to make sure you do not have any adverse reactions.
We do not offer any form of medical or psychological advice. The information in our wellbeing articles are offered for educational purposes only. Our wellbeing articles are not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent any disease. Thank you.
