Institutional Course (Compassion)

Compassion
• derives from Latin: "to suffer together"
• involves feeling another person's pain and wanting to take steps to help relieve
their suffering.
• related to other emotions such as sympathy, empathy, and altruism, although the
concepts have some key differences; empathy refers more to the general ability
to take another person's perspective and feel the emotions of others;
compassion, on the other hand, is what happens when those feelings of empathy
are accompanied by the desire to help.

Signs of Compassion
• Feeling like you have a great deal in common with other people, even if you are
very different in many ways.
• Being able to understand what other people are going through and feeling their
pain.
• Being mindful of other people's emotions, thoughts and experiences.
• Taking action when you see that someone else is suffering
• Having a high level of emotional intelligence so that you are able to understand,
manage, and act on your own emotions as well as the emotions of others.
• Feeling gratitude when other people express compassion for your own hardships

Types of Compassion
• Compassion for others: when you experience compassion for other people, you
feel their pain and want to find a way to relieve their suffering. These feelings
compel you to take action to do what you can to make the situation better
• Self-compassion: this involves treating yourself with the same compassion and
kindness that you would show to others. Rather than beating yourself up over
mistakes you may have made in the past, you feel understanding, mindful, and
accepting of yourself and your imperfections.

How to Practice Compassion

• Speak with kindness
• Apologize when you've made a mistake
• Listen carefully and without judgement
• Encourage other people
• Offer to help someone with a task
 • Be happy for someone else's success
• Accept people for who they are
• Forgive people for making mistakes
• Show respect
• Express gratitude and appreciation
• Be patient

Impact of Compassion
• Giving feels good: One of the reasons why compassion can be so effective is
that both giving and receiving can improve your psychological well0being. Being
the recipient of compassion can help you get the support you need to carry you
through a difficult time. But giving compassion to others can be just as
rewarding. For example, researchers have found that giving money to others who
need it actually produces greater happiness rewards than spending it on
ourselves.
• Compassionate people live longer: engaging in activities such as volunteering to
help those you feel compassion for can improves your longevity. One study
found that people who volunteer out of concern for others tend to live longer
than people who do not volunteer.
• Compassion contributes to a life of purpose: One study found that the happiness
that comes from living a life of purpose and meaning- one that is fueled by
kindness and compassion- can play a role in better health. In the study,
participants who experience what is known as eudaimonic happiness- or the kind
of happiness that comes from living a meaningful life that involves helping
others- experiences lower levels of depression, stronger immunity, and less
inflammation
• Compassion improves relationships: can also help you build the social support and
connections that are important for mental well-being. It can also protect your
interpersonal relationships. Research suggests that compassion is a key predictor
of the success and satisfaction of relationships.

How to be more Compassionate

• Bring your attention to the situation
• Let go of judgement
• Practice mindfulness
• Try loving-kindness meditation