Empathy: Today I Want To Learn To Understand You

Empathy is something that a lot of people have always had, but it is necessary for others to acquire it.

Feeling empathy means that we know why our interlocutor is acting in such and such a way. We know how to understand it.

This does not mean that we agree with the person in front of us, but that quite simply, we know how to read in them the reason why they act in this way, by digging well beyond the simple ones. appearances.

Empathy promotes our relationships with others, but also helps ourselves. Start practicing it today!

Stimulate your empathy!

If you are already empathetic, you will learn to stimulate her, to make the most of her.

If you find it really hard to empathize with others, now is the time to practice the exercise: put yourself in the other person’s shoes.

It is not easy, but it is not impossible. To feel empathy, you have to start by observing. Let go of our selves, our perspective, and begin to place ourselves behind the eyes of other people.

For some people this happens naturally, but for others it is something very difficult to do.

With time and practice, you will get there. But… do you know how to strengthen your empathy?

• Observation is one of the most important steps in empathy, especially observing nonverbal behaviors.
  People can say something while their verbal language expresses something totally different. Analyze the gestures and movements of your interlocutor as this will reflect their deepest feelings and emotions.
• Listening is also very important, both verbal and non-verbal listening. Much more important than speaking: listening to your interlocutor.
  Thanks to this active listening and observation, you will succeed in locating yourself and understanding the person in front of you.
• Understanding will be the last step in fostering empathy because by observing and listening we can realize that we understand what the other person is going through, even if we do not share it.
  Not agreeing with an attitude does not mean that we have to judge it: we have to understand it, open our mind and allow it to enter. Respect this attitude and understand it even if we do not apply it.

Understanding promotes empathy

We will not be successful in feeling empathy if we cannot respect and understand the attitudes of others.

We should never judge anything because maybe tomorrow we will do what we criticize today.

Opening your mind and understanding what you do not share will allow you to learn more about personal relationships and allow you to develop your empathy.

In order to be able to empathize with others, whether we have it naturally or not, we need to consider the following aspects:

• Look at your interlocutor with interest.
• Control your emotions and if something makes you feel rejection, don’t show it.
• Let the other person know that you understand them.
• Deepen the information of your interlocutor.
• Show your support.

All of this will promote your understanding of the other person and they will feel good and supported.

Sometimes it’s hard for us to be able to empathize with others. It happens when the pain and disappointment are very present.

These negative emotions are much stronger than sensitivity and that is why we lose the perspective of empathy, which is relegated.

We can learn to empathize, but we need effort and to practice observation, active listening and understanding.

Do you want to learn to understand others? Do you want to know how to understand different actions? It will enrich you and enrich your interpersonal relationships.

Images by Mina Smoke and Christian Schloe