The Benefits of Empathy: Building Better Relationships

Do you have any recollections of ever being understood? That moment, when another person entered into your existence and knew your difficulties and aspirations? Let’s talk about empathy- a tactical quality necessary in almost every field in the present world.

At its core, the meaning of empathy is elusive. Empathy refers to the capacity to comprehend and deal with the particular feelings of other individuals (Decety & Jackson, 2006). In other words, it means to be able to place yourself in someone else’s position and comprehend their feelings and emotions even for a brief period of time. This is especially true given the many advantages that come with being empathetic. 

It helps enhance relationships, fosters communication, boosts wellness and promotes healthy relations within the society. When we show empathy, it sends a message to the others that we appreciate the kind of feelings that they are going through. It works as a glue and assembles the people into trusting the other and wanting to belong. True communication cannot happen without some form of empathy. In empathetic listening, one pays close attention to the spoken words, the gestures, and in most cases the tone of the speaker to make sense of the message being conveyed. It alleviates stress, nervousness, and depressive mood with a corresponding increment in joy and life contentment. Most importantly, it is also conducive in the promotion of a better society. 

It is equally paramount that we develop the concept of empathy amongst ourselves and take it that others within our influence do so too. Some of the ways through which we can build this quality is by practicing active listening, asking open-ended questions, validating their emotions, putting ourselves in their shoes, and practicing mindfulness.

Active listening can be achieved by focusing on the person who is speaking, maintaining appropriate eye contact, nodding in agreement, and giving them room to completely express themselves without any intrusions or interruptions. Open-ended questions allow the individual to convey their thoughts. All of us disagree at times, however, putting this theory into practice and showing how someone appreciates you even if they are unable to offer that specific level of respect is quite hard. Visualization allows us to put ourselves there and somehow see what the other person is feeling and appreciate their perspective as best as we can. The first step is to understand and acknowledge our own feelings. Being aware and mindful of ourselves gives us the space to be able to better understand the feelings of others and to be able to provide a safe space for them.

The capability to empathize is an important characteristic for therapists, counselors, and other professionals in mental health. It helps in establishing connection and trust, which is crucial when one is developing a therapeutic alliance. Therapy becomes more productive as clients are more willing to participate when they sense that they are being accepted and understood. When clients believe the therapist is interested in their well-being and in their stories, they tend to heed the advice of the therapist, trusting the therapist’s expertise. Moreover, it is beneficial in understanding the experiences of the clients leading to proper examples of effective interventions. Clients are reassured when therapists recognize and validate their feelings. In addition to this, empathy assists in preventing therapists from inflicting harm on their clients. It helps the therapist in considering the adverse effects that the treatment may have on the patient. Therapists’ understanding of the needs and wants of their clients enables them to honor the client’s boundaries and privacy.

Empathy is a valuable and inherent human quality that can improve our own lives as well as those of the people around us. Working on ourselves can help us form a better relationship with ourselves and as a consequence would give rise to a finer understanding of others’ feelings and improve interpersonal relationships. It is not a trait that comes easily to everyone or that could be mastered easily but constant practice and consciousness of our actions can pave the way for a better understanding of the people around us.