To care for someone means not to expect anything in return. It also means to care enough to believe in the other person’s strengths and that they will solve their own problems. Caring does not mean taking in their emotions as though they are your own (as this affects your ability to be fully there for them; you start to care about your own feelings instead). Empathy by definition is to be able to identify how the other person feels and convey those feelings to them so they feel understood and will more likely open up. Empathy doesn’t mean to share their emotions with them!

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