Get in the other’s shoes

More than once we have heard of this term: empathy. What is it? Empathy is the ability to perceive or interpret what another person may feel.or perhaps even think, always in a common context.

That is to say, it is a way of understanding and comprehending what the other feels, but from an empathic position – pardon the redundancy – putting oneself in the other’s place. A developed form of empathy It involves not only understanding what the other feels, but also responding to those feelings..

Perhaps proposed this way, it sounds like empathy is something metaphysical or a divine ability, only for a select few. But the reality is that we all develop empathy at some point, to a greater or lesser extent. It would be good to develop it and enhance it to the maximum because it will strengthen us as people. and in our relationships.

How to develop empathy

So how to be more empathetic? The ability to empathize depends directly on one’s ability to identify one’s own feelings. To master empathy you need to be aware of yourselfdo not prejudge and, especially, have the ability to listen and observe the other person carefully.

Empathy is not about understanding others for our benefit, but about understanding them for theirs.. Attention is almost essential to be empathetic. If while we are talking to another person we are thinking about something else, our own problems, or what we will say when the other person finishes speaking, we will never really be able to find out what the other individual is feeling.

Much of all this It is about being capable of understanding beyond the verbal.and detachment from our own circumstances to put ourselves, as they say, “in the other’s shoes.”

We must keep in mind that people do not always express what we feel in words, we may be saying one thing and feeling another, or we may not say anything and be feeling something. He who has empathy will be able to see through words and gestures and understand a little further.

Put yourself in the other person’s shoes

It is normal that today we become a little selfish without realizing it, worried only about our problems, and thinking only of ourselves. But that leads to taking the opposite route to that of empathy. Empathy mobilizes us to feel the pain of othersto regain interest in the people around us and to consolidate the relationship that we have with each of them.

Empathy is easier to put into practice as we get to know people a little moresince frequent relationships allow us to discover the reasons for bad mood, happiness or sadness of the person with whom we interact, and also to understand their way of acting consistent with that state of mind.

Empathy is a great characteristic and we should value it as such. When someone empathizes with us we have to know how to appreciate itand when someone needs us, we have to develop this wonderful capacity to the maximum in order to help the other person, which always means great satisfaction.

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