Dear All,

Here is a continuation about what is empathy.

Enjoy!

Warm regards,

Milena

Dear All,

For this week I would love for you to practice empathy.

ACTIVITY I: How is it to be someone else?

It is normal that in our relationships with others, at times, some difference in opinions arises. It is more difficult to be more empathetic with a person with whom we disagree, but this is not a case in the absence of a conflict.

1. Pick one person from your family/work colleague/friend you think with whom your relationship is not going so well.
2. By setting some time aside every day, attempt to find out how to be him/her.
3. Start asking him/her some simple questions, e.g., How do you usually feel when you get up in the morning? If you wake up feeling moody, what helps you get over it?, etc.
4. Use your curiosity to find out little by little about him/her every day. Continue a conversation with an open mind about the other person. Listen carefully and actively to what she/he is saying.
5. Please write down your reflections in your notebook.

ACTIVITY II

Given the relationship between attitudes and behaviors, perceptions toward the environment are of concern in shaping environmental behaviors. Accordingly, understanding how to improve people’s connection to nature may be a vital research area linked to sustainability efforts. Fabio and Kenny (2021) found that the relationship between the personality traits of agreeableness and openness and connectedness to nature is mediated by empathy.

Think of your own empathy, personality traits, your connection to nature and what you are aiming at through your work as a TMT Shinrin Yoku Guide – write an essay of minimum 500 words on how the 4 elements in your view intertwine with one another. Send your work by email before Week 9.

We will reflect on the empathetic practice in Week 9.

Thank you,

Warm regards,

Milena