Today, I would like to talk about empathy. In a nutshell, it is all about putting yourself in other people’s shoes, but actually it is a little bit more than that. You need to be able to feel their emotions, whether they be happy, sad, angry, lonely. The list goes on. For some people, it is easy to practice empathy, for others it is a skill that they need to learn. Whatever your skills in empathy are, it is definitely worth using them to your best ability.
In the medical profession, empathy can be used as a powerful tool that extends beyond the symptoms being experienced by the patient. It opens the doors to a greater understanding of the patient through the understanding of not only their symptoms but also their feelings, values, and ideas that are beneficial for the doctor and the patient.
Empaths are people that seem to be born with a strong sense of empathy, or they could have developed this skill in their childhood. These people may be overly sensitive in nature and be overwhelmed by emotions that other people are experiencing.
Personally, I think that I identify myself as an empath. At times, I feel that I am tuned into other people’s emotions too much and can be quite sensitive. This is why, in the past, I thought that counselling was not a job for me, as it may cause me too much sensory discomfort. Then I changed my mind and I now think that it is a gift that I should use to help others.
Empathy is important to help people that you love, in relationships, in the workplace and to generally help anyone that is having trouble coping. It does not necessarily mean that you are burdened with someone else’s problems. In my experience, I am able to dive in to help people with their issues and then come back out and be ready to help someone else. The reward that I get comes from being able to help, even in a small way.
I think that this is something that anyone can do. When we are strong, we can help others, but even if we are not strong, we can help by just listening and understanding.
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