Hey all! I hope your day was filled with peace. 

Since the creation of this blog was for a Feminist and Queer Theory course I thought I would go ahead and include my final project powerpoint presentation for all of those that are interested in the research portion of the project! 

If reblogged, do please keep credit since this is something I’ve put a lot of work into. As always, feel free to let me know what you think! 

If anyone needs any clarification on citations I also have that information available! Thank you for the read and have a great day!

Happy Sunday Funday everyone! 

Today I wanted to once again focus on trying to find the empathetic parts of yourself. Previously I advocated for the empathy mediation, but maybe meditation isn’t for you. 

In that case, here are some quotes that can help shed a little more light on the mindfulness that is needed to reach that point of empathy. I really enjoyed the variety of people from whom were quoted and found that several helped me find that connective place within myself. 

See if any of these quotes resonate with you. And feel free to let me know with an anonymous question or comment on the page. 

As always, thank you for the read and have a great day!

https://lesley.edu/article/the-psychology-of-emotional-and-cognitive-empathy

Happy Saturday guys! I hope this day has been great so far!

Today I’d like to dive a little more into the scientific and psychological background of empathy, it’s importance, how it shows up in the brain, and how to cultivate it.

Though this post is from a university, it is very simple to understand, and helps shed some light on the research surrounding empathy.

All the information in the post is linked so please feel free to do your own research should you feel inspired!

I hope this helped to give some more understanding not only as to what empathy is but how it is created in the mind.

As always, thank you for reading and please do ask any questions you may have anonymously above! Have a great day!

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.understood.org/en/school-learning/for-educators/empathy/7-ways-to-respond-to-students-with-empathy

Happy Friday everyone! Today I would like to zero in on our teachers out there.

This post hits on ways teachers can respond in empathy to students of all ages.

While this post is aimed at empathy for a teacher/student relationship, I think these 7 ways to respond in an empathetic way is useful in many of our lives if we think about it.

Try some of these out today and let me know how it goes! Good luck out there, and have a great day!

https://medium.com/@lauraclick/31-empathetic-statements-for-when-you-dont-know-what-to-say-edd50822c96a

Hey guys, it’s Thursday! Going off of yesterday’s post, I would like to show some positive examples of empathetic responses when you aren’t sure how you should respond to someone.

I found this post really enlightening when comparing some of the automated responses that are common when someone is opening up to you and how they may be empathetic or not.

I know I’m working to use these tactics to be better every chance I get, so keep me updated on your progress if you’d like! Ask a question, voice a concern, or simply drop by and say hey :)

As always thank you for reading and have a great day!

https://medium.com/@lauraclick/want-to-be-more-empathetic-avoid-these-7-responses-21bb52d5d2ad

Hey all, Happy Wednesday! It’s time to see some examples of how NOT to show empathy.

I think it’s important to see examples of real life situations that can come up and where some answers can be considered less empathetic than others.

Have you ever used any of these responses? If you have, don’t worry! We can all improve little by little if we only try hard enough!

I believe in you all. Let me know if you have any questions or comments regarding your experiences with these responses! Have a great day!

How Empathetic Am I?

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/quizzes/take_quiz/empathy

Hello there! I hope you have all been holding up well and staying safe!

Today I wanted to touch on something that has been asked by many, I’m sure. The question is: how empathetic am I? As I discussed in my first post, many people confuse sympathy and empathy, thus confusing which they are feeling. 

Worry not! Today I want to introduce a short (29 question) quiz that has been adapted from three different empathy assessments completed by several researched individuals. I will put as many links to that information as I am able below. 

If you have the time, take this quiz and see where you land. Maybe this is moment for you to acknowledge how high your empathy is or maybe this is a time for you to recognize that empathy isn’t a strong suit that needs to be improved. Keep trying my friends, empathy is achievable for us all. 

Thank you in advance for the read and have a great day!

Hello friends! It’s Wednesday, I hope you all enjoyed today for what it was! It was so nice and warm where I am, I soaked up as much of it as I could! 

Today we will be talking about COVID-19 and how you can use the recommendations set by the CDC and WHO to show empathy in a real way. Let’s get into the reasons why the above recommendations are using empathy. 

I want to focus here on the last two visuals shown above. One depicts the essence of “being kind” during COVID-19 by checking in with your loved ones, either those working from home or essential personnel. We are all going through a life-changing experience and it is sometimes hard to remember that we are not alone in this. 

Try to find time (haha right?) to call or text your friends and family to make sure they are coping well with life. Think about asking if they have had any new hobbies pop up or what shows they have been watching. This will allow for some distraction as well as let your loved ones know you truly care about them. 

The other important aspect right now is how to keep others from getting sick. This is a huge topic right now with several recommendations on how to practice social distancing, how to properly wash your hands, the frequency of hand washing, etc. All of these actions allow you to start thinking in an empathetic way by trying to help others as much as or more than you would help yourself. 

Think about this time as a way to help others recognize this too. We are all in this together, we just have to remember that. As always thank you for reading and have a great evening!

Check the CDC and the WHO for more information (see below):

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

Hey all! 

Happy Monday! I hope the day was everything you wanted it to be!

Today I am here to talk about a way to begin to foster empathy within yourself through a guided meditation exercise. Meditation is so helpful when it comes to finding empathy because it allows for mindfulness and the focus on positivity. 

There are many different kinds of meditation, this is one focused on visualization and breathing exercises. Feel free to reblog with your experiences, I am interested to hear your responses! 

Though this guided meditation is not on video, I find that it is helpful to allow oneself to find that place in your mind and heart for empathy through the steps mentioned in this post. 

As always, I look forward to continuing to post and hearing from all of you. Thank you in advance for reading!

Growing up my mom was just my mom, but now that I'm older I realize she is her own person as well. Realizing this though has caused me some distress because she has hurt some of my family and married a guy that most of us dont like and I dont feel like shes much of my mom anymore because I see her adult side now. How can I be empathetic in accepting that she is my mom and her own person?

Thank you for reaching out with this question!

I think we all have struggled with this at one time or another: the feeling of realizing that your parents are individuals as well as your parents. Learning this is difficult, and can be upsetting, especially when it comes to not understanding parent’s actions and their effects on their children. 

What I will say is this: 

Try to imagine all the complexities of your life: in your job, in your friendships, in your family, in your schoolwork (if applies), etc. Imagine all the issues you have had to face and how maybe if you had the chance you would modify your responses to those situations. Now, imagine that another layer is added to your life: parenthood. Now on top of all of the complexities that life is already throwing your way, you (as an adult) are trying to navigate what it would be like to have this new little life in your hands that looks up to you to do what is best for them. 

Kind of complicates things, huh? I know that it may be hard to accept the behaviors of others, in any relationship, but especially in the parent/child dynamic. However, I think that if you find yourself feeling confused or hurt regarding some of your mother’s adult choices, you can remind yourself that life is hard. You can remind yourself that people make mistakes and hurt people. But what you can also remember is that this is the way people learn and grow. 

Thank you for your question, reader. I hope this gave you some peace of mind and helped to show you how to practice empathy in your own life. 

How can I use empathy with my spouse? Thank you!

Thank you for your question!

For creating a home that is comfortable for you and your partner both, empathy can be used in the following ways:

-Setting boundaries in a healthy way, including communication, chores in the house, etc. so that you and your partner can agree.

-Asking your partner if they need personal time alone and let them know you are asking from a place of no judgment, then follow through. 

-When asking your partner to do a new activity, for fun or for chores, give an estimation of time for the other person to plan on. 

Thank you again for interacting! I hope you have a great day!

Hello all! This will be a month-long project in which I will be posting tips and trick on how to be empathetic both in your day to day life, as well as being a part of a long-term goal. 

To start, what is empathy? Many people often believe that they are feeling empathetic towards others in times of need when in reality they are just feeling sympathy. But what is the difference?

To give a brief review: sympathy is feeling for someone else in situations that are tough while empathy is actually putting yourself in the shoes of the other person to try to truly understand them.

While the article cited has much more information about the definition of the two, it also touches on why it is important to have empathy. This will be the first tidbit of information I give, to get everyone on the same page. 

As always, feel free to submit any questions, concerns, advice, or comments. There will be availability for anonymous responses as well should anyone prefer. Thank you so much for getting this far and have a great day!