Empathy - what is it, what does it give us and how to develop it?

Being empathetic is crucial, especially these days. When conflicts, caused by jealousy or opposing points of view, are becoming more frequent. Consider how much simpler your life would be if you approached everything with empathy for others. Want to know how to improve this skill? Read on to learn how developing empathy can strengthen your bonds with others.

To understand what empathy is, let's first look at its definition. Then I'll present strategies for developing it and discuss its benefits. This post will give you useful tools to be an empathetic person.

What is empathy?

The ability to empathize is a skill that allows us to understand and feel other people's perspectives and emotions. It is the ability to empathize with and support the experiences of others. In short, empathy is the ability to understand how a person's situation is.

Sympathy, however, is sometimes confused with empathy. What exactly does sympathy mean? It's a positive feeling toward someone, which can be based on similarity, interests or behavior. Meanwhile, empathy is the ability to empathize with another person's emotions and experiences without necessarily identifying with them.

It is still worth mentioning that there are different forms of empathy. They differ in certain respects. The ability to understand and relate to the feelings of others is known as emotional empathy. Cognitive empathy, on the other hand, is the ability to understand the viewpoints of others. Compassionate empathy, on the other hand, combines emotional empathy with the willingness to help or stand by those who are in need.

Why is empathy important?

Empathy is a very valuable skill, as it can strongly influence our personal relationships, as well as positively affect our achievements. Being empathetic makes it easier for us to have conversations, and they are crucial, in virtually every sphere of our lives. This skill, helps us relate more deeply to others and create friendships based on understanding. In addition, it allows us to deal more skillfully with the various challenges that confront everyone.

Empathy is the foundation of healthy relationships. Understanding the other person's emotions allows us to accept his or her views and behavior, which promotes happier and better relationships. Often people with empathy have a greater tendency to help others and can often be more confident. From this comes greater happiness and satisfaction with life.

When it comes to the professional sphere, empathy is also essential for building relationships and communicating effectively with clients or colleagues. Understanding the needs and viewpoints of others makes us better at problem solving, team building and inspiring others to achieve common goals. Moreover, an empathetic leader can increase employee loyalty and commitment, which improves performance.

If we take examples from our lives, they confirm the importance of empathy. Often all it takes is a small gesture of empathy, such as showing sympathy or understanding, to lift someone's spirits. Therefore, having empathy not only improves our relationships, but can also have a positive impact on our performance at work.

How to develop empathy?

One of the most important steps toward becoming more perceptive and understanding of other people is to develop empathy. There are several ways to develop it.

Effective listening is a key aspect of improving our understanding of others. By actively listening in this way, we can show that we value the other person's point of view by really focusing on their words or emotions.

An additional way is to empathize with the situations of others. We can achieve this by imagining how someone else is experiencing a given circumstance. This is a really beneficial exercise to improve our ability to empathize and understand other people's perspectives.

Moreover, we can develop empathy by engaging in various helpful activities. For example, by volunteering or providing assistance to those in need. By doing so, we can gain a deeper understanding of their needs and problems. This is all because showing up and trying to experience the other person's emotions will allow us to understand her better. Which, by analogy, will make it easier for us to help her. And often a short conversation, or even just listening, can help someone feel better.

Finally, it is important to remember that practicing empathy takes effort and time. We will not be able to develop empathy and the ability to help others until we practice empathy.

Practical exercises

Practicing empathy makes sense if you want to grow in this area. You already know some strategies for developing more empathy. So now, I'll introduce you to some exercises that can improve your ability to understand others: 

• Reflecting emotions: is paying attention to others' feelings and showing sympathy for their situation. When someone shares their emotions, try to understand their motivations before reacting accordingly.

• Emotional diary: in such a diary we record our own feelings and those of others. We can also list the circumstances that make us or others feel a certain way.

Try these exercises and you'll learn how empathy improves relationships, making it easier for us to solve others' problems and even have a simple discussion.

Empathy in different areas of our lives

Empathy is also found in various areas of our lives, affecting how we view ourselves and others. Here are some areas we can highlight:

• Empathy at work: When we are empathetic in the workplace, we are able to communicate better and additionally manage our team better. Employees who are able to understand the needs and perspectives of their colleagues build a positive atmosphere based on trust and respect. Such an atmosphere affects cooperation, significantly improving it. 

• The role of empathy in relationships and family: When it comes to relationships and family, empathy is one of the key skills for healthy relationships. In a family or relationship, like anywhere else, arguments can occur. However, family or relationship are aspects of our lives that we tend to care a lot about. A successful relationship and a supportive family is a treasure. And highly developed empathy can facilitate such a successful relationship or very good contact with family. When we know what another person feels, it is easier for us to approach things. Someone may be upset with us simply out of fatigue, so, instead of getting into arguments, let's simply talk and propose something to lighten the atmosphere. In general, partners who are able to understand each other, know each other's needs and respect each other's feelings always form a healthier relationship. In addition, an empathetic approach in family relationships can help us better understand and support each other in difficult situations.

• Empathy in education: Empathy plays an important role in building good relationships between teachers and students. By the way, a mutually empathetic approach, builds a better classroom environment for learning. Teachers who understand the needs and perspectives of their students are more effective in encouraging them to learn. This also works the other way around. If we know what annoys a teacher or how to make a lesson easier for them, they are able to teach us more, and even in a more pleasant way.

So as you can see, empathy occurs on many levels, and it's worth nurturing on each of them.

Barriers to developing empathy

Although empathy is a useful skill, sometimes developing it, can be problematic. So we'll tell ourselves about some of the barriers that most often occur when developing empathy: 

• Stress: In stressful or work-filled situations, we find it harder to focus on the needs and emotions of others.

• Lack of time: We often lack the time to devote enough to the relationships we care about. This makes it harder for us to thoroughly understand the points of view of these people. And as a consequence of lack of time for others, these relationships can deteriorate.

• Stereotypes: Sometimes we are guided by stereotypes. Unfortunately, this approach, sometimes, can make it harder for us to build a relationship with a person to whom we are already prejudiced from the top.

We know the barriers that can hinder the development of empathy skills. But how to deal with them?

If you're stressed a lot, it's a good idea to incorporate relaxation habits into your life that reduce stress, such as meditation or yoga. This will allow you to strengthen your empathic approach.

The next element to take care of your empathetic approach is to be conscious of how much time you devote to a relationship. Devoting the right amount to the other person, if they need it, makes a huge difference in building a strong relationship.

Still, to overcome stereotypes, we must simply be open to cultural diversity. Let's remember that everyone is different, so that's why it's so important. Quite logical, but important.

Incorporating these simple practices can bring you great benefits for your relationships, as well as for your overall well-being.

Conclusion

If we want to understand and feel the emotions of others well, an important skill is empathy. We should develop it because it makes relationships better. This skill can be developed, regardless of obstacles such as stress, lack of time or stereotypes. All it takes is active listening, putting yourself in the shoes of others and engaging in activities where we help. Empathy will help you strengthen relationships, create them based on trust and improve communication.