We lack empathy when we’ve in emotional overload.
There’s a big call for developing more empathy in the workplace.
We can do that the hard way – or the easy way.
Focusing on building empathy for others is addressing the symptom rather than the root.
What we really need to deal with is the emotional overload.
There are a couple of things we need to look at to address that overload.
The first is to develop self-compassion.
Brene Brown says “as it turns out we can’t practise compassion for others unless we can be kind to ourselves.”
The self-compassion piece will solve a lot of problems that you’re juggling.
That’s how you know when you’re addressing a deeper or root cause. You get more bang for your buck.
A better ROI.
When you develop self-compassion, you won’t have to work on empathy for others, it will roll out naturally.
In a healthy way. You’ll avoid the usual problems that can accompany empathy: poor boundaries, absorbing others’ emotions and energy, co-dependency, taking over-responsibility for others.
The second is to understand that the overload exists because we’ve been taught to fight our emotions rather than work with them.
We’ve been taught to have lousy relationships with ourselves.
So emotional overload is common. So common that people don’t even recognize that they’re experiencing it. They think it’s a normal way of operating.
We’ve become addicted to short-term relief at the expense of conscious performance and connection.
#Empathy #Compassion #MentalHealth #LeadershipDevelopment #ConsciousLeadership #PersonalDevelopment #EmotionalIntelligence #Wellbeing #BurnoutPrevention #Burnout #Resilience