It is important to pay attention to others and focus on others’ needs, and perceptions. Along with empathy and
compassion, there is another important emotion for gaining an understanding of people and it is sympathy.
What is sympathy? Sympathy is feeling sorry for another person’s grief and troubles. Sympathy allows you to understand and connect to others, helps others understand their emotions, develops social skills, problem solve, and possibly helps you learn from someone else’s experiences. Being empathetic (feeling what others feel) in the workplace
sometimes may be perceived as being too “soft,” as you are taking on their feelings. Caring and understanding do not have to be that complicated. Sympathy is simply feeling sorry for another person.
How does sympathy happen?
Spatial proximity – As humans, we tend to show more sympathy toward those to whom we are close. Close does not just
mean just friendship. It also means geographically. We may not know the person but simply by being in proximity, we can experience sympathy whether it is on the street, in a building, outdoors, or indoors. When we are close, we become
aware of our surroundings and respond to them. When we are not geographically close, we may not notice that others are suffering and therefore not feel sympathetic to their situation.
Social proximity shows that we are more sympathetic to those we know personally or with whom we share likenesses and/or experiences. Knowing others allows us to have a baseline understanding of their emotions and how they react when they are upset, hurt, excited, or confused. We also show more sympathy to those who act similarly to the way that we do and/or if they share some particular attributes, experiences, or characteristics with us.
Compassion fatigue can be a negative effect of sympathy. When we take on others’ emotions, we may start to feel physically and mentally exhausted. It is important to remember to separate your emotions from others when they are
affecting you adversely. Remind yourself that what you are feeling are not your own emotions, nor are they your issues.
They are someone else’s. You can be sympathetic without taking on the pain!