We don’t empathize with why someone is feeling something; we empathize with what they’re feeling. If you’ve ever felt disappointed before, you can empathize with someone else who is experiencing disappointment. Brené Brown says, “Empathy is feeling with people.”2 It’s hard because it requires us to let go of trying to cheer someone up when they’re suffering or trying to reason with them about why it’s not so bad or how it could be worse.
