5 ways to be more empathetic

Highly empathetic people are more likely to have more friends, more meaningful relationships, and be high-functioning generally. On the other hand, having a low ability to empathise is associated with different personality disorders like antisocial personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorder. While the task of being more empathetic might seem daunting, it is possible with practice over time. 

We talk a lot about the fact that empathy is a skill that you can build and practice, but it can be hard to come up with ways to do this in your everyday life, especially when it doesn’t seem like other people are working on this skill.

What Is Empathy? 

Empathy is understanding someone else’s experience so much that you can imagine having their experience yourself. It is the foundation for kindness and understanding. It helps us in relationships to understand the needs, experiences, and feelings of the other person.‌ It is different from sympathy, as sympathy is merely focused on responding or reacting to the experiences. Empathy takes it one step farther to being able to put yourself in the person’s shoes.‌

What are the 5 ways to be more empathetic?

Here are 5 ways to be more empathetic:

• Listen: This might sound very simple, but an important part of building your emotional intelligence is understanding the emotions of another person. One of the best ways to understand their emotions and perspectives is to listen.

• Have a conversation with a stranger: Don’t talk to strangers may have been good advice when you were a kid, but in order to break down assumptions that get in the way of empathy, we need to talk to people that are different from us.

• Read different stories: Another way to challenge your assumptions is to read a book or watch a movie and take a journey to another place through another perspective.

• Be aware: Recognizing the emotions of others is an important piece of emotional intelligence, and one of the first steps that Brené Brown identifies in her definition of empathy. You can practice this using a variety of tools, and by trying the strategies above.

• Learn from kids: Children show us that they are creative geniuses, and they are also great teachers and learners of empathy. Programs like Roots of Empathy help teach this 21st century skill in classrooms, but if you’re out of the classroom, you could volunteer with a program for children in your community. You’ll be giving back and having an opportunity to practice your empathy skills!

Takeaway:

The next time you become engaged in a conversation that warrants some empathy, try to use one or two of the suggestions from this article. After the conversation, reflect on how you felt being so focused on expressing empathy. Also, consider how your conversation partner responded to you.