Empathy
“Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.” Mohsin Hamid

What does empathy mean?

• The ability to imagine how someone else is feeling in a particular situation and respond with care.

• Understanding that each individual person has their own set of thoughts, feelings and beliefs that may not look anything like yours

• Seeing something from another person’s perspective or point of view

• Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.

Why is empathy important?

• It helps us be a better person and a better friends

• It allows you to practice recognizing emotions better

• You can make better connections with others

• You can have a better understanding of your own thoughts and feelings 

What is the difference between empathy and sympathy?

• Sympathy is acknowledging how another person feels- being able to name their emotion

• Empathy is one step further- it is understanding how another person feelings, and being able to feel that exact emotion, and then doing something about it.

Videos that show us Empathy

1. Watch this video to learn more about empathy, and how to practice it.

2. Watch this clip from Inside Out. Think about sympathy and empathy. Which one did Joy  practice, and how do you know? Which one did Sadness practice, and how do you know? Which one worked better to comfort Bing Bong?

Activity

1. Listen to “Those Shoes” by Maribeth Boelts

2. Watch the video on Empathy

3. Choose a shoe template and create a shoe that represents you!