Activity: Empathy
Empathy is not just about understanding others—it's also about being in tune with ourselves. Before we can fully connect with the feelings of those around us, we must first recognize and acknowledge our own emotions. This blog post introduces a simple yet powerful activity designed to help you do just that.
Through a self-empathy check-in, you will have the chance to pause throughout your day, take stock of your feelings, and gain deeper insights into your emotional landscape. By engaging in this practice, you will not only enhance your self-awareness but also strengthen your capacity for empathy toward others.
The Goal
The goal of this activity is to have an opportunity to notice your own emotions. Most people rarely stop to consider the emotions they are experiencing, except when those emotions become intense. This is a self-empathy check-in.
Step 1:
Choose a two-day period and stop briefly at identified times of day to notice and note the emotion(s) you are experiencing. Use the chart format below to record the emotion and what you were doing at the time (e.g., eating breakfast alone, reading a book, dealing with a difficult customer).
Step 2:
Reflect on what you notice about the emotions you wrote down.
- What patterns do you see?
- What did it feel like to stop on a schedule to notice what you were feeling?
- What did you learn about yourself?
- What did you learn about empathy?