11 Things That Really Empathetic People Will Understand
You rarely assume that you can know or understand someone at first meeting, or even the second, or third.
1. You probably tend to be very forgiving of people’s flaws and weaknesses. You look for good intentions and true character beneath a person’s weaker moments. You know that you’ve fucked up and had to ask for forgiveness from others and appreciate when the tables are turned.
2. You rarely assume that you can know or understand someone at first meeting, or even the second, or third. First impressions may be important, but they are not impossible to overcome, at least not in your book. You believe that getting to know someone is a lifelong endeavor with many twists and turns.
3. You’re a great listener in a way that only a very understanding person can be. You enjoy and encourage others to open up to you and are usually accepting and kind. The downside being that you may have difficultly reciprocating such openness in turn.
4. When someone you care for or even someone you’re acquainted with is suffering you have a very hard time not becoming emotionally entangled. Even if it’s from a distance. You want to be there, you want to help, and can often overwhelm and over stretch yourself trying to be there for everyone at once and forgetting yourself.
5. Burning bridges that probably should be burned is very difficult for you. If someone, even someone who is not healthy for you to be emotionally involved with asks for your help you have a hard time not answering the call.
6. There is a good chance that when the time comes and you need the support of someone, you’ll feel that sometimes people fall short of your expectations. You’ll come to find this is not a fair comparison and that being there for others should not be viewed as a gift that has to be repaid.
7. You have a wonderful capacity to listen to many sides of a story and a real desire to seek both sides of a story. You’re often broad thinking and always open to new ideas and ways of approaching a subject.
8. You usually consider your words carefully before speaking, especially where the happiness of others is concerned. You understand that words have power, that they can cut and linger, and you don’t want to hurt others needlessly with your carelessness.
9. Sometimes you find yourself playing the devil’s advocate, considering the other side of a story and feeling that it’s important to discuss. You’re not one to blindly agree with a friend; you’d rather actually help them with a situation than just tell them what they want to hear.
10. You can get yourself caught up in some pretty toxic relationships. Your empathy, as previously expressed, can lead you to forgive things that shouldn’t, at the very least, be forgotten. You’ll stick to selfish friendships and romantic partners for years until you eventually learn that your happiness matters, too.
11. You see very few situations in life as black and white; rather everything is in shades of gray. It’s simple to deal out judgment, it’s much harder, and therefore often more rewarding, to attempt to understand the choices and circumstances that led to a situation. 
