GET Empathy: Valentine’s Day 2024
A heartfelt Valentine's week greeting from Global Education Therapy! This year, let's illuminate our hearts with the radiant light of empathy. Empathy is a magical gift that allows us to resonate with others' emotions, perceive the world through their eyes, and walk a mile in their shoes. It's not just about understanding—it's about sharing in the human experience. Let this be our guiding star as we navigate life's journey together.
What Makes Empathy Different than Sympathy?
Empathy fosters connection, while sympathy can lead to disconnection. Sympathy often manifests as offering a quick fix or trying to find a silver lining, like saying, "Oh, it's bad... want a sandwich?" or starting a sentence with "at least you...". Instead of trying to fix the problem, empathy involves acknowledging that you may not have the perfect response, but expressing gratitude for being trusted with someone's story. It's important to understand that responses don't always have to make things better; what truly matters is fostering a genuine connection.
4 Qualities of Empathy:
Perspective-taking
Staying out of judgment
Recognizing emotion with other people
Communicating that emotion
Why Should We Be More Empathetic?
The power of empathy in forging strong social bonds is truly admirable. By stepping into the shoes of others and understanding their thoughts and feelings, we can respond more effectively in social scenarios. It's disheartening to see relationships falter due to a lack of recognition for another's perspective as their reality, coupled with an inability to manage our own emotions. Instead of engaging in a dialogue aimed at understanding diverse viewpoints, we often find ourselves arguing solely to assert our stance, without considering the other person's welfare or letting our negative emotions take control. The beauty lies in harnessing empathy for healthier interactions and stronger connections.
6 Ways to Help Children Build Empathy
The journey of nurturing empathy can start as early as when our little ones are just starting to walk and talk. However, the golden age to delve deeper into this vital topic is between 5-7 years old. It's during these formative years that children become more conscious of the world around them, observing both differences and similarities with keen interest. This period also witnesses a significant growth in their language skills, social-emotional maturity, and cognitive development - all crucial elements in fostering empathy.
Model empathy by showing it toward your child and to others outside of the home. Validate your child’s feelings and the feelings of others.
Make discussions about your child’s feelings and the feelings of others a daily conversation topic. This can include discussions about characters in their favorite TV or books, or even during pretend play.
Use “I statements.” Start sentences with “I feel… because…” and if needed “I’d like (propose solution how to improve situation or emotion).
Teach your children the real use of “I’m sorry.” We all teach our kids to say sorry until it’s an automatic response but they don’t fully understand it. When teaching apologies, parents should teach their children to say “I’m sorry” to explain exactly why they are sorry and to take ownership of what was wrong with their words/actions, and to express understanding of how that impacted others.
Teach children to recognize nonverbal language. While asking someone how they feel is great, when we teach children to recognize body language and social cues, the empathy roots dig much deeper.
Remember that teaching empathy is not a one-and-done deal. It is consistent cultivation over time and taught primarily through natural life experiences.
