Hold The Sympathy... Pass The Empathy!
I used to be sympathetic... because I did not want to connect with how someone else was feeling.
I used to also be extremely apathetic... because I did not understand why people were always coming to me with their "stuff" nor did I care to connect with them in that way.
Nowadays, I am empathetic... because I choose to feel what shows up! I choose to feel it all... the good shit and the not-so-good shit.
Some days, I make this choice consciously... inviting people into my circle so I can empathize with what they are going through in that moment.
Other days, I am very much unconscious. This really sucks on a physical level because my body gets all knotted up. It gets knotted up because I am feeling the pain of others without the conscious connection. When I am conscious, the knots are gone.
Needless to say, I do my best to be aware of what I am feeling as much as possible in any given moment in order to be a conscious shoulder for someone in need. #WorkInProgress
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw[/embed]
You may also want to watch Dr Brené Brown's complete talk, The Power of Vulnerability, in the video below.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXSjc-pbXk4[/embed]
I used to also be extremely apathetic... because I did not understand why people were always coming to me with their "stuff" nor did I care to connect with them in that way.
Nowadays, I am empathetic... because I choose to feel what shows up! I choose to feel it all... the good shit and the not-so-good shit.
Some days, I make this choice consciously... inviting people into my circle so I can empathize with what they are going through in that moment.
Other days, I am very much unconscious. This really sucks on a physical level because my body gets all knotted up. It gets knotted up because I am feeling the pain of others without the conscious connection. When I am conscious, the knots are gone.
Needless to say, I do my best to be aware of what I am feeling as much as possible in any given moment in order to be a conscious shoulder for someone in need. #WorkInProgress
In this beautifully animated RSA Short, Dr Brené Brown reminds us that we can only create a genuine empathic connection if we are brave enough to really get in touch with our own fragilities.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw[/embed]
You may also want to watch Dr Brené Brown's complete talk, The Power of Vulnerability, in the video below.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXSjc-pbXk4[/embed]