Bita Farrahi hospitalized due to a lung disease

Show us compassion and empathy

Researchers have defined compassion as the feeling that arises when you are confronted with another person’s suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering — a desire to help.

• Compassion is not: Telling people to try turmeric, lose weight, exercise more, or any other unsolicited advice. Just don’t — even if it comes from the goodness of your heart.
• Compassion is: Getting ice packs for someone, doing a difficult task that might put someone into a flare, or going out of your way to do anything that could “save some spoons.” In other words, real compassion is helping and letting your actions speak louder than words. And it’s OK to ask how to help if you don’t know how but want to.