Wise advice on Verified

A prerequisite to empathy is simply paying attention to the person in pain - Dr Daniel Goleman
At its heart, this quote means you can't even begin to be empathetic if you're not first paying attention. It's the foundational step, the absolute non-negotiable.

What Verified means

You are not overreacting; your body is overburdened - Dr. Jessica Shepherd
Your body's intense reactions, fatigue, pain, brain fog, aren't a personal failure or an overreaction. They are a logical, biological response to being pushed beyond its capacity to cope.