How can you develop empathy for patients with chronic conditions?

Empathy is a cornerstone to engagement, developing trust and effective communication. In addition, genuine empathy engages your active listening skills, so that you can truly hear what someone is trying to say. Lastly, empathy creates a pathway forward for authentic conversations that can ultimately lead to healing.

Chronic conditions need to be corrected by addressing the root cause in addition to providing symptomatic relief. Lifestyle modifications become very important especially food intake or diet modification. While Nutrition and diet value plays an imp role, emotions that has contributed to prognosis is equally important. When we address these factors, medicine intervention becomes minimal which inturn can reduce the impact of chemical on the body. This helps in reducing the speed of prognosis, reduces risk and often helps in reversing the progress of the chronic disease.

Empathy requires more than a sympathetic response and listening ear. Empathy is a way of being. Empathetic people are simply engineered to engage with the world from the heart first while also having a firm grasp on a clear mission of being helpful. Companies are desperately trying to harness empathetic ideas to incorporate into the culture when in reality, empathy is best captured through the people who walk gently through the lives of others. The key is that companies have to recognize that empathetic people are often those who are the resilient, the dependable and those often most vulnerable to company layoffs because they are the ones at the bottom.

It is known that as the mind, so goes the body. This becomes of critical importance in caring for the chronic patient. Realistic expectations, refused personal and mental limitations, and regular encouragement are three trusted ingredients to a successful long-term relationship. This patient does require more love than the quick-resolving trauma case.

Healthcare involves treating individuals who are often vulnerable, scared, or in pain. Empathy allows healthcare professionals to connect with patients on an emotional level, showing them that their concerns are understood and validating their experiences. I learned as a nursing tech a lesson I've never forgotten. "Every single patient is someone's mother, father, daughter, son, friend...." That is, every patient matters.

A full expression of empathy, and a way that's easy for me to remember, is that every human is where they are by birth and circumstance. If I had the same birth, raising, genetics and circumstance, I would be that other person, coping as they are. We are all doing the best we can with the tools we have. Also, remembering that someday me or a loved one will need the care of experts, I strive to treat others with the care I would want for me and/or my loved ones.

Showing empathy is genuinely listening without judgment. Walking the journey and providing positive energy, laughter, kindness, and tools to help the person through this difficult stage of life. Finding and sharing holistic well being and healing resources. Sending food or care packages when they live far away. Meeting for tea or lunch if you're nearby.

To express empathy, listen actively, use reflective listening, show nonverbal cues, avoid judgment and criticism, and be willing to help.

With a chronic condition its often an invisible illness and its impacting a variety of areas. I work with chronic illness patients and often a main thing with showing empathy is showing that you heard them and understand. Im not giving advice or offering essential oil those won't make the emotions feel better. I'm validating that their experience and feelings matter, and they are living through a really challenging thing right now and offering support.

Showing empathy starts with active listening without any judgment. A lot of times, it is a lot for the overwhelmed person in itself. People often describe empathy as your ability to place yourself in someone else’s shoes. People not only like others to understand their problems, but they also like others to feel their feelings. Once you place yourself in their shoes, you can quickly figure out what they want to hear to feel supported. Of course, it may need some modification in a professional setting. However, it will be genuine in the core.

The best way to develop empathy is to see the whole human. It is to understand that we are all more than our worst moments. It is to understand that what we are seeing is a snapshot of a person, when in fact, they are a motion picture. It is to withhold judgement, and just be the best version of you.

To develop empathy, practice active listening, put yourself in another person's shoes, challenge biases, seek out different perspectives, and practice self-care and mindfulness.

One thing we practiced as a fun exercise to develop empathy could be watching a tv show that'ss a drama full of emotions and pausing it to practice empathy replies. pause it and write out how you might respond to that character's situation.

Active listening is the most important in understanding where the patient or the other party is coming from. It is also essential to connect with them, placing yourself in their shoes and feeling their pain. Researching their condition can help as not everyone is as expressive in describing their pain or difficulties. However, feeling their pain is somewhat different from understanding it, though both are important for fully engaging and helping that person most effectively.

Empathy helps conflict resolution by enabling active listening, understanding the other person's perspective, finding common ground, building trust and rapport, and creating a positive atmosphere for resolution.

No real connection can be established with understanding the feelings and perspectives of the other side. Most of the time, people respond better to ideas and guidance when they feel understood. The coach or mediator can modify the tone and style of communicating depending on the mental state of the person receiving it. These days, it is likely possible to generate mediation advice using AI, but it may lack empathy and will not be as appealing to human parties. Humans need human connection and understanding. That is the bottom line.

Empathy can come from anyone.. it might not always be a close one or someone you may know. Learning the art of empathising is intergral. Most people confuse sympathy and empathy and it is also important to be able to distinguish between the two emotions.

If it is possible to become a person who is standing next to rather than opposite the other and view the issues or problems from a similar perspective, sharing the responsibility of solving or resolving these becomes a challenge that is not a conflict but an opportunity. Once the opportunities are recognized as shared, all successes are also shared. Differences become less important than results.