During an argument or when faced with a difficult situation, you may have heard someone say that we need to have more empathy. This is one of the words that we repeat very often, but we are not always fully aware of what it means.
In a simplified way, empathy is the virtue that allows us to understand the feelings of a person or a group of individuals, even if we are not experiencing the same experience as them, but it is possible to delve further into this concept, to avoid a confusion that it's quite common.
A large part of the population defines empathy as the ability to put oneself in someone else's shoes, however this is a misconception and a distortion of this concept. As you continue reading the article, you will understand why we should not use this explanation to refer to this virtue.
So pay attention to the content we have prepared. Are your ideas about what empathy is right? Do you practice this concept in your routine? What can we do so that this important characteristic is developed within us? Discover all of this below.
What is empathy?
First of all, empathy is a gesture of altruism. It is when we recognize the validity of another person's feelings and strive to understand them, even if we have never felt them. Therefore, we cannot say that empathy is "putting yourself in the other's shoes", because then we would be putting our ego ahead of the situation.
Empathy is not about imagining “how I would feel in this situation”. In fact the thought should be “that person feels that way and I respect that, even if that feeling is not familiar to me”. It is important to make this differentiation, because the way you feel about something may not be the same way the other person feels.
Going deeper into the concept, empathy can be analyzed from three components. The first one is the affective one, from which we share our feelings and understand those of other individuals. The second component is the cognitive component, which allows us to analyze other people's emotions and generate a response about them. Finally, the third component is the frame of reference. In this case, affection and cognition come together so that a person understands the feelings of others, evaluates each one of them and is able to interact, offering emotional support, for example. Once all these processes take place, empathy is developed.
Why develop empathy?
Once you understand what empathy is and how it works, it's time to understand why you should develop this trait in its essence, so check out the best benefits of practicing empathy.
1) Good relationship with other people
The main benefit of empathy is developing good relationships with other people. Once we practice this virtue, we are able to offer attentive listening, to connect with stories and with individuals, to develop deep dialogues and to silence our ego for a few moments.
2) Ability to help those we love
With empathy, we can help the people we love the most and who need to say what they feel. From the recognition of the validity of their emotions, we will be an important emotional support, someone they can count on and a person they trust. In this way, we are able to assist them in decisive moments.
3) Improved communication of bad news
Breaking bad news to a person is not easy. We don't want the other person to suffer, but we don't always find a way to ease that feeling. By developing empathy, however, we will be able to share this burden with the other individual, showing that we care about their well-being and that we want to offer support despite the situation.
4) Reduced stress and tension
Stress and tension develop when we feel overwhelmed, either because we have too many tasks to do or because we accumulate our feelings. Through empathy, we are able to build dialogues to share tasks, to assuage our worries and to rescue our good quality of life, with patience and love.
5) Interpretation of non-verbal language
A person's non-verbal language is able to say what he cannot translate into words. As empathy makes us more attentive and caring people, we will be able to analyze these nuances of behavior and expressions that can reveal how someone is really feeling. From there, we can offer more targeted help.
How to develop empathy?
Since empathy is so fundamental in a person's life, whether for the relationships they have or the work environment, the best thing to do is to develop this virtue in their personality. See how you can do this.
1) Avoid judging other people
On many occasions in our lives, we may have judged someone's feelings or attitudes; however, the more we avoid doing this, the more empathetic we will be. Always remember that the other person is facing battles we didn't imagine and that it's unfair to judge them just because we don't understand them.
2) Pay attention to the problems of others
It's not a problem to put yourself as a priority in your own life. Despite this, it is necessary to reserve moments to observe the people around us. Talk to them carefully, show that you care about their well-being, and try to help them in the best way you can.
3) Practice kindness in words and deeds
Kindness is an essential virtue for all people. From it, we can tell someone that we can't talk at a certain moment, but that we will do it later. It is also possible to treat people with more affection, even before we know how they are feeling. Unite your kindness with your empathy.
- Understand the importance of empathy in your life
- Who is your guide: Ego or virtue?
- Learn why you should align empathy and self-love
- Analyze the difference between empathy and sympathy
4) Bet on your body language
A person's body language can be shown with smiles, hugs, kisses, or other types of affection. There are no rules in this matter; however, the more affection we show someone, the more welcomed that individual will feel. That way, his empathy will go beyond words.
5) Practice self-knowledge
If you don't understand your feelings, how are you going to understand someone else's feelings? Self-knowledge is one of the most efficient ways to develop your empathy. To dive into yourself, you can do therapy, meditation, yoga or bet on other activities that have this purpose.
From what was presented above, it is understood that empathy is a virtue that contributes considerably to life in society. She is responsible for promoting deep connections between people and helps us to better deal with what we feel. So what are you waiting for to put our tips into action and develop empathy within yourself?
