Think about a time someone came to you in their time of need. Audit how you think you helped that person. How did you understand their problems? What did you do well? Did you place yourself in their shoes? And lastly, did you manage to do something practical to help them? Now think about what you could change to increase your empathy towards someone.

1. Think about how you would like to improve your understanding of the problem a person is going through. For example, I would like to listen to the person’s problem and not immediately try and offer a solution.
2. Now think about how you would like to improve on feeling what that person is going through. How can you best try and place yourself in that person’s shoes? For example: I will speak to an expert/do some research on what the person is going through, which can help me better understand the situation.
3. Once we really understand the situation the person is in by trying to feel the way they do, then we are in a better position to decide what we can actually do to help that person. That help may mean giving them the resources they need, or taking them away for a short break, or encouraging and helping them to seek professional/medical help.