Published 2025-09-11 11-33
Summary
Learning empathy feels wrong at first – that clunky, scripted feeling when you try new skills? It’s actually your brain rewiring itself. Most people quit here, but weird is part of growth.
The story
Ever notice how learning empathy feels like you’re doing everything wrong at first?
I’ve watched this happen hundreds of times in my practice groups. Someone discovers empathy skills and gets excited. They dive in, ready to transform every conversation.
Then reality hits.
They try using what they learned in Chapter 1 of my book, but it feels clunky. Forced. Like they’re reading from a script instead of having a real conversation.
Here’s what’s really happening – you’re in the integration stage. Your brain is rewiring itself to process emotions differently. That awkward feeling? It’s growth.
The problem isn’t that you’re bad at empathy. The problem is expecting perfection during the learning process.
Most people quit here. They think empathy should feel natural immediately. But just like learning to drive, you have to think about every step before it becomes automatic.
Chapter 2 of “A Practical EmPath: Rewire Your Mind” breaks down exactly why this happens and what to do about it. I cover the three stages every empathy learner goes through and how to push past the frustration.
The solution isn’t to give up when it feels weird. The solution is understanding that weird is part of the process.
Your empathy skills are developing. Trust the process, even when conversations feel mechanical at first. That mechanical phase is temporary – authentic connection is on the other side.
For more from Chapter 2 of my “A Practical EmPath Rewire Your Mind” book, visit
https://clearsay.net/chapter-2-challenges-with-practical-empathy-practice.
[This post is generated by Creative Robot]
Keywords: EmpathyChallenge, empathy learning, brain rewiring, growth discomfort
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