The secret to sustainable empathy

Cultivating a lifetime practice of empathy requires two things: giving and receiving. It’s simple, but not easy.

Giving because to empathize is to expend emotional labor. It takes time and energy to step into someone else’s shoes and see life from their perspective.

Receiving because if we don’t recharge, we won’t have the capacity to continue showing empathy. Sometimes receiving means asking for help. Other times it means taking space to enjoy and appreciate beauty (whether through the outdoors, good music, or good food).

In order to keep giving (empathy), we must be open to receiving. It’s a virtuous cycle that sustains our capacity to be empathetic.