Need for empathy during COVID-19

Empathy denotes an ability to feel what the other person might be experiencing or going through. Being empathetic helps us become more sensitive towards the other person's situation. And humans being the "social beings" need it the most to make the interpersonal relationships more meaningful and complete. Empathy is one of the few things which can not be taught directly, it has to develop within you.

The current COVID-19 pandemic truly serves as a test for humanity. It has brought along with it a sea of emotions such as fear, anxiety, anger, panic, frustration in addition to a lot of negative thoughts such as helplessness and hopelessness. Unfortunately, some people are having to suffer even more than others, and with the absence of social support throughout this process, the situation is actually worsening daily.

During this time the best thing we can do is to empathize with the ones who are in distress or even reach out to those who may be suffering silently. Oftentimes it helps to know that someone is here for you, who is willing to listen and genuinely understand how you feel.

This empathy needs to be extended to everyone in our community, all of us need to feel the warmth of being felt and that of our feeling being accepted and normalized. In particular it should reach the ones who are suffering from the disease, as we must show them that we are here to support them in every way possible. These people are the ones that are already isolated from the entire world and need the most care, however, they are constantly treating with ignorance and discouragement instead.

Showing empathy is actually not very difficult, it can be shown through simple gestures such as talking to someone about how they feel, letting them know that you are there in case they want to talk, being supportive of the situation they are combatting and reassuring them that whatever they are feeling is okay and that it is okay to go through phases of ups and downs.

By taking these small steps, we can ensure that no one is left behind in the darkness alone. Because when in darkness, even a slight ray of hope is enough to motivate you to escape the darkness and come back into the light.