Most people have experienced moments of uncertainty when trying to respond to someone going through a painful situation. A family member may have passed away unexpectedly. A friend may have received a difficult diagnosis. Or a long-time relationship may have ended. Even with a genuine desire to offer support, it can be difficult to know what to do or say. In that moment, what you needed most was a way to show how deeply you cared, and you may not have realized that empathy isn’t limited to words. Many people assume that empathy involves a verbal exchange of kind and loving words, whether spoken or written. However, there’s a type of empathy called “compassionate empathy” that’s powerful yet doesn’t require you to express your emotions using language. Compassionate empathy involves taking action to express genuine care. That is, you do something rather than say something.…