Sympathy vs. Empathy

Know the difference so you can support your loved ones! Empathy typically provides far more support and healing for a person than sympathy does. I briefly posted this yesterday but wanted to clarify some of the wording. Compassion is another step above sympathy or empathy in that it directly offers support, "how can I help you?" Sympathy, empathy, and compassion may all be combined together such as with, "I'm sorry you're feeling that way, I went through a similar thing recently and feel your pain, how can I help?" Sympathy by itself is not necessarily bad, it just often comes off as distant even though the person giving it may care a lot. Words are powerful so know how your support influences those around you, even the slightest change of words can make a major difference in a friend's life.