Buddhist advice for not being completely overwhelmed when you consume news about the LA wildfires.

It starts by understanding the difference between empathy and compassion.

Empathy is when you feel somebody else’s feelings.

When you’re consuming news about the fires—especially when you’re watching interviews with people who’ve suddenly lost everything they own—empathy can be overwhelming.

But compassion is different….

Compassion is empathy plus the desire to help—even if there’s nothing you can actually do to help. Simply adding on the desire to help can be empowering and ennobling, and can therefore prevent overwhelm.

What to do about this practically?

When I watch news coverage of all the people whose worlds have been utterly torn apart, I silently repeat this ancient Buddhist phrase in my head:

May you be free from suffering.

Simply adding on this desire to help—even when there’s nothing I can actually do to help—changes my mindset.

But also…

For many of us, there are things we can do to help—to put compassion into action.

Donate to help the first responders and survivors. Call your friends in LA. Even just being more helpful to your friends and family can increase your sense of agency. Action absorbs anxiety.

Bottom line: empathy can swamp; compassion can uplift. In a world where climate change makes these disasters more likely, we may need compassion more than ever.