❤️ The impact of empathy and compassion ❤️

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❤️ Hello! I’m delighted to discuss empathy and compassion with you today. Empathy is defined as “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another”, and compassion is defined as “sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others”, although I prefer to define it as “empathetic care and concern for the sufferings, misfortunes, thoughts, feelings and situations of others”. Either way, I sometimes wonder if we have the capability to truly understand how essential empathy and compassion are ❤️

❤️ Let’s imagine a person who is struggling and feeling hopeless. Now, imagine that you encounter them and show them kindness, empathy and/or compassion. That person is still struggling, but they’re feeling a bit more hopeful because someone reminded them that goodness is still out there. Our actions and words have an impact. Who knows if that act of kindness ended up being crucial for this person? This little boost was probably more significant for their mental health than we initially thought. Words can destroy and hurt and/or heal and help: how we use that power is up to us ❤️

❤️ Empathy and compassion are indispensable to filling up our inner tank: they give us energy, happiness hormones and motivation to keep fighting when our battles are rough. Empathy and compassion allow us not only to connect with others but also to help one another, feel better about ourselves, make someone else feel better, foster a supportive environment and, simply, spread kindness. In this world where both mental health struggles aren’t always heard and words have such a gigantic impact on our mental health, using empathy and compassion is a free way to help and support others and to make the world a better place, one act of kindness at a time ❤️

❤️ So, how do we start? There’s not a one-size-fits-all, but things like listening to others, sharing kind words, offering a helping hand and simply being there are good places to begin! Make sure you offer a lot of empathy and compassion not only to others but also to yourself: you’re also a person and you deserve love and kindness as much as anyone else. Therefore, please practice self-care and be kinder to yourself! You deserve it ❤️

❤️ Today, I invite you to practice empathy and compassion. Let’s make the world a better place together! ❤️

❤️ Discussion questions: ❤️

❤️ ✅ 1- How will you show empathy and compassion to others? ❤️

❤️ ✅ 2- How will you show empathy and compassion toward yourself? ❤️

❤️ ✅ 3- If you want to, please share the story of an act of kindness you did. What happened when/after you did it? Feel free to share any tips to practice empathy and compassion, too ❤️

❤️ Thank you for being you ❤️