Tips for becoming more empathetic

Empathy is a skill that allows you to support others by putting yourself in their shoes and feeling how they feel in a certain situation.

Some people are naturally empathetic, while others tend to be less so. There’s nothing wrong with having less empathy than others. However, it’s also helpful to improve your empathy skills to help make stronger and deeper connections with your friends, colleagues and family members.

If you want to become a more empathetic person, we’ve got some top tips below. First, let’s discuss what empathy is and why it's important.

What is empathy?

Empathy refers to a deep understanding of other people’s situations, thoughts, feelings, and experiences to the point where you can put yourself in their shoes.

You can experience emotional empathy (recognizing and understanding other people’s emotions and feelings) and cognitive empathy (how you perceive and understand the way other people feel on an intellectual level).

How to become more empathetic

Developing empathy can take a long time, but there’s no better time than now to start practicing this important life skill. Here are three effective things that you can try to become more empathetic:

• Ask questions - this will help you to gain a deeper insight into other people’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences
• Focus on similarities between you and others - when you realize that you and the people around you are similar in many ways, you’ll be better able to put yourself into their shoes
• Listen to others and truly hear everything that they’re saying - it’s important to listen carefully to what others share with you if you want to be empathetic toward their situation