S2 E10: Deepening Discomfort: Empathy

MIND. BODY. PURPOSE.

Today we are talking about why you might want to choose this kind of discomfort in your life, the difference between sympathy and empathy, and how this skill adds depth and fullness to our lives. Here's the three takeaways to help you become confident in choosing empathy:

MIND: assume the mantra "I can handle this."

Often we avoid getting into this powerful emotion because it's uncomfortable and inconvenient, and we choose sympathy instead so we can move along with our day. Choosing to experience empathy requires intentionally choosing discomfort, and giving ourselves the time and space to be there, instead of moving along to the next thing.

BODY: Breathe into the discomfort.

This is the exact same tool that people inherently go to when we experience physical pain (stubbing a toe, passing a kidney stone.... you know what we mean), but when it comes to emotional pain, we generally default to a form of avoidance, because we can. Rather than avoiding the uncomfortable emotions, if we choose to breathe into them and actually experience them in the body, we gain the capacity to feel and experience and process, which becomes something sacred, especially when shared.

PURPOSE: Focus on expanding love.

The Savior is our example of this. In John 11:35, "Jesus wept." He wept with Mary and Martha as they grieved the passing of their brother Lazarus. He knew the outcome (He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead), and yet he experienced the grief right alongside them. He didn't try to talk them out of it or offer advise. He felt with them. As we practice loving and accepting ourselves (knowing who we are, just like the Savior knew who He was), we gain confidence in our ability to feel-- feel compassion and acceptance and love for ourselves as well as for others. This ability is an expansion of love.

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