Empathy factor: Looking at things from other's perspective

Empathy goes far beyond sympathy. Empathy instead is feeling with the person through the use of imagination. Intelligence says that Empathy is basically the ability to understand others emotions. At a deeper level, it's about defining your emotions & reacting to the concerns & needs that underlie others emotions, responses and reactions.

According to Shavika Kapoor, Head Girl, Class 12 of DPS, Hyderabad, "I try my level best to be considerate of others feelings, and do whatever I can in my capacity to help them. Our school provides numerous platforms for students to learn how to empathize with others, and become more sensitive to their needs." Interact club ensures students visit old age homes & orphanages. TED Club & Leadership Club play a key role in the same & allow the students to relate to their peers. Shavika says she's an empath when she truly understands what the other person is going through. I don't believe in feigning empathy.

Elements of Empathy:

Daniel Coleman identified 5 key elements of Empathy.

Understanding others

Developing others

Having a service orientation

Leveraging diversity

Political awareness

Empathy, by contrast, is about experiencing those feelings for yourself, as if you were that person through the power of imagination.

Types of Empathy:

Cognitive Empathy: Understanding thoughts & emotions in a rather emotional way.

Emotional Empathy: Also known as emotional contagion, it's catching someone else's feelings so that you literally feel them through.

Compassionate Empathy: Use feelings & take appropriate actions to help.

Skills needed in understanding others:

Pick up emotional cues

Listen well

Reflective

Clarifying

Help other people appropriately Show sensitivity with others

Empathy is the ability to understand & share the feelings of another. If your emotional abilities aren't in hand, if you don't have self awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, you can't have empathy & have relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you will not be going to get too far.

For the student community, developing empathy is very essential. Looking at things from others perspective than one's own, will help in gaining insight & farsightedness. It strengthens the bonds friendships among students.

Sanjay Shastry of Class 12, DPS says he makes conscious efforts in day to day life to be emphathetic towards friends, relatives & family. For me empathy is understanding & building a cordial rapport with others. When I joined DPS as a new student, it took time to make friends. I extended friendship & shared their pain, problems and fears of fellow students which helped me to make friends. I'm a true empath.

Being an Empath in school situations, enables students to be more compassionate & caring. Understanding emotions, is a skill-set which the youngsters need to gain for better relationships. Being there for each other makes them more humane.

It keeps them binded in all situations & promotes well being amongst them. The empathy factor needs to be practiced consistently for better & stronger bonds. Seeing through the eyes of another, listening through the ears of another & feeling with the heart of another is true empathy.