The Student Midwife Summer Issue, Volume One | Page 11

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Research shows we’re less likely to help
when we don’t have a clear idea of who to
help. We also know that those who need
help are less likely to ask for it if they
don’t know you want to help.
Additionally, people won’t help if they
think it doesn’t make a difference.

It would seem that in our modern day
communities, everyone is stressed
out, overworked, overburdened and
undervalued. But is that really true?

Clearly, there’s a lot of work we have to
do in order to be closer-knit, more
effective communities, but this guide will
help you to better identify who needs
help, and in turn, will help those in need
realize you’re able to help.

Many of us spend more than 20% of our
time on social media, we’re less
physically active than we’ve ever been
(largely due to technology making our
lives easier), and we spend more on
entertainment (adjusted for inflation)
than ever before.

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Develop Empathy
Build Trust
Who’s Not Asking?
Check-In
Ask the Universe

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to say
that you’re lazy and should do more for
others. Chances are you’re a hard
working person who is service-oriented.
You may even be one of the ones who
really is overworked and stressed out, but
the majority of us have a couple hours or
more a week to help those who are truly
in need.

HEP’s (or Highly Empathetic People) are
those who have, as the title states, high
levels of empathy. They are curious about
people, they seek to find commonalities
with strangers and they work hard to put
themselves in others’ shoes. They are
great listeners and they don’t empathize
with just the poor or the marginalized,
but with those who are wealthy and in
power. In a word, they are open. They

1. Develop Empathy