Brené Brown - Empathy
My Mum has always been a woman of wise words. She always knows what to say even when words aren't needed. For years I struggled with over explaining myself and trying too hard to express my emotions in the attempt to make sense to some people, but in reality as Mum would tell me, 'it doesn't mean they don't care, some people just aren't listeners as in depth as you are'. She didn't mean this in a bad way however more so as listening involves enacting empathy - a concept that can be foreign to some people, but necessary for us all to connect. And perhaps she was just being a good Mama in always having my back...
Maybe empathy was a learned skill for me through my own studies of Social Work, maybe it was taught to me by my Mum. However I learnt it, I try my hardest to be empathic on a daily basis which I don't always succeed at. I do this as I know through my own personal struggle that showing connection to someone at a time of need is more powerful than we sometimes realise, whether or not we are interested, disagree or even are tired of the same story. It doesn't take much, but gives a lot.
This video is short, simple and yet bang on point. All of Brene's talks are. Although probably expected, I wasn't shown this video through any of my Social Work studies or friends, but through family. As she so poignantly states in this video;
'In order to connect with someone, I have to connect with something in myself that knows that feeling'
and;
'Rarely can a response make something better. What makes something better, is a connection'.
Maybe take a moment, share this post/video on your social media or via email and it may just spark something in someone to take the time to show some empathy to someone who needs it today, tomorrow or the next day.
Get down in the hole....
Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW is a research professor at the Graduate College of Social Work at the University of Houston U.S.A. She has spent the past decade studying courage, worthiness, vulnerability, and shame. She is known for her TED talks about these and more. She definitely has my vote, and not just because she is a fellow Social Worker - that part's a bonus.
Amazing, amazing stuff for all of us to take a little away from.
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