Empathy
"Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another." -Alfred Adler
One of the most valuable traits a person can have is empathy. Being able to share and understand in another's feelings can have powerful effects. When you can feel what he or she feels, it leads to a having a better grasp on what that person is going through. This makes it easier to help, support, or encourage a person going through a hard time or a person who is sharing their happiness.
If you have ever watched a movie with me, you'd know that 99% of the time, I cry at the end. Whether they are tears of sorrow after Titanic or tears of joy at the end of Babe, movies always make me emotional. My ability to empathize has made me who I am. I'm a person my friends go to with problems or conflicts. I don't just listen to what they are saying; I give advice because I can feel their pain or anger. In college, I had a job as a writing tutor. My empathy helped me because I was able to feed off of their feelings of either joy or frustration. I would never change this quality about myself.
Although my empathy has helped me, it has also made life more difficult. Sometimes I feel things so deeply that it fuels my anxiety. I have a hard time watching the news because even an event that happened across the world can feel like it happened to me. Sad stories touch me to a point that I can't think about my own life. I feel fear when I hear that others are in danger. When I see someone being embarrassed, I feel embarrassed, and that memory will stay with me for years. These issues are exhausting when I can't go online, listen to the radio, or read an article without being exposed to negativity. Sometimes "ignorance is bliss" is better for my mental health.
-Allie
One of the most valuable traits a person can have is empathy. Being able to share and understand in another's feelings can have powerful effects. When you can feel what he or she feels, it leads to a having a better grasp on what that person is going through. This makes it easier to help, support, or encourage a person going through a hard time or a person who is sharing their happiness.
If you have ever watched a movie with me, you'd know that 99% of the time, I cry at the end. Whether they are tears of sorrow after Titanic or tears of joy at the end of Babe, movies always make me emotional. My ability to empathize has made me who I am. I'm a person my friends go to with problems or conflicts. I don't just listen to what they are saying; I give advice because I can feel their pain or anger. In college, I had a job as a writing tutor. My empathy helped me because I was able to feed off of their feelings of either joy or frustration. I would never change this quality about myself.
Although my empathy has helped me, it has also made life more difficult. Sometimes I feel things so deeply that it fuels my anxiety. I have a hard time watching the news because even an event that happened across the world can feel like it happened to me. Sad stories touch me to a point that I can't think about my own life. I feel fear when I hear that others are in danger. When I see someone being embarrassed, I feel embarrassed, and that memory will stay with me for years. These issues are exhausting when I can't go online, listen to the radio, or read an article without being exposed to negativity. Sometimes "ignorance is bliss" is better for my mental health.
-Allie
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