Kindness and Compassion is the Key to Empathy

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Updated 9 years ago

Here at WA we often read a post or pick up on vibes within comments that members are struggling with difficult times and challenges.

I was talking to a friend of mine who I admire as she lives her life by showing empathy to others, and goes out of her way to always be a strong pillar of support. This time though she felt drained and emptied by a recent experience.

So now is my time to build her up and return the kindness and compassion she has shown to many.

How can we Cultivate Empathy

Showing kindness and compassion is an admirable quality, a quality we can all develop. We can do this by observation, listening and even using our imagination to put ourselves in the other person shoes.

Observation.

Often people will tell us how they feel, or the struggle they may be going through. Being observant, we can see signs such as a person being uncommunicative or a lack of enthusiasm and being in a general state of depression.

Listening.

A good listener always picks up on the little nuances that are out if the ordinary and we can learn what problems people face. Being a good listener gives an easy opening for a person to open up to us and disclose their feelings. Listening, first builds confidence, and once the other person has confidence, this turns to trust and when we have that trust we can ask searching subtle questions. Questions will then lead to a solution.

Imagination.

Our imagination is a powerful tool we all know if we imagine something enough we will find a way to make it real.

We can use our imagination to put ourselves in their shoes and ask ourselves; if I were in this situation, how would I feel? How would I react?

Often it is easier to judge, than show kindness and compassion, real empathy. Next time, consider them by observing, listening and using our imagination to show real empathy.