THE EMPATHY

 

What is it?

 

The empathy is the ability to understand the emotional life of another person, almost in all its complexity.

This does not necessarily mean sharing the same opinions as the other person has.

It doesn’t even mean agreeing to what the other person is expressing.

 

Empathy refers among other things to active listening, understanding and emotional support. If you feel that you are not empathetic enough, you can work on it!

 

What do I need or should I do to be more empathetic?

 

  1. Know how to listen:

Pay attention to what the other persons are expressing (show interest) and to their gestures;  don’t interrupt them. Put yourself in their shoes for a moment.

  1. Interpret nonverbal cues:

Identify their mood and their message through their intonation, the volume of their voice, the response time …

  1. Show understanding:

It is not okay to reject or judge the other persons’ emotions.

We can show understanding through: “I understand you acted like this”, “I totally understand how you feel”…

  1. Give help if needed:

It is important to always ask the other persons if they need any kind of help; However, on many situations, simply by listening and understanding we manage to make the other person feel much better.

 

Why is empathy so important?

 

It is important that the empathy becomes a common and normal attitude among us because the well-being of an entire community will depend on this.

Here are some benefits of being an empathetic person.

  • Lets enjoy social relationships

participating more with your group of friends,

colleagues and family.

  • Helps you feel better personally.
  • Facilitates conflict resolution.
  • It encourages helping others and sharing.
  • Increases charisma and attractiveness.
  • Lets be more respectful.
  • Develops leadership, negotiation and collaboration skills

Marina Sevilla