The Practice: Where compassion is built
Compassion is built in practice, not in agreement. The practices below are organized by time required and context, so you can find the right entry point for your day, your team, or your organization.
Compassion is built in practice, not in agreement. The practices below are organized by time required and context, so you can find the right entry point for your day, your team, or your organization.
For your day, right now
The Cognitive Reframe
5 secondsShift from "I feel your pain" to "I care about your pain and want to help." This single cognitive move activates different neural pathways and protects against empathic distress.
How to practice: Before entering a difficult interaction, silently remind yourself: "I am here to help, not to absorb." Notice the difference in your body when you make this shift.
The 30-Second Reset
30 secondsA micro-practice for transitions between patients or tasks. Three breaths with intention.
How to practice: Pause. Take three slow breaths. On the first, release what just happened. On the second, arrive in this moment. On the third, set an intention for what comes next.
The Compassionate Breathing Space
3 minutesAn expanded reset for when you notice distress building. Based on mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.
How to practice: Step 1 (Awareness): What am I experiencing right now? Thoughts, feelings, body sensations. Step 2 (Gathering): Bring attention to the breath as an anchor. Step 3 (Expanding): Widen attention to the whole body, then to the intention to act with compassion.
For your week
Loving-Kindness Meditation
10-20 minutesThe foundational practice for cultivating compassion. Systematic well-wishing starting with yourself and expanding to others.
How to practice: Sit comfortably. Begin with yourself: "May I be safe. May I be healthy. May I be happy. May I live with ease." Then extend to a loved one, a neutral person, a difficult person, and all beings. The phrases are not magical; the practice is in the intention.
A Reflective Practice Journal
10-15 minutesWeekly reflection on compassion in practice. What worked, what was hard, what you learned.
How to practice: Each week, write briefly about: One moment when you practiced compassion well. One moment when it was hard. One thing you noticed about the difference between empathy and compassion. One intention for the coming week.
Finding Your Why
20-30 minutesReconnecting with the reasons you entered healthcare. A structured reflection on purpose.
How to practice: Use the Finding Your Why tool (linked in Resources) or simply write about: Why did you enter this profession? What moments remind you why it matters? What would you want a patient to feel after an encounter with you?
For your team
Team Compassion Huddles
5-10 minutesBrief team check-ins that normalize acknowledging difficulty and offering support.
How to practice: Begin team meetings with a brief round: "How are you arriving today?" or "What is one thing that has been hard this week?" No fixing required, just witnessing.
Mattering Practices (NAN)
OngoingMercurio's Notice-Affirm-Need framework for making colleagues feel that they matter.
How to practice: Notice: Pay attention to colleagues. See them. Affirm: Acknowledge their contributions, their struggles, their humanity. Need: Ask what they need. Sometimes just asking is enough.
Compassion Conversations
As neededInformal reflective conversations where clinicians share the emotional dimensions of their work with a trusted colleague.
How to practice: Have a conversation with a trusted colleague. One person shares a case that affected them emotionally. The other listens and demonstrates understanding without fixing. The goal is connection and normalization, not problem-solving.
For your organization
Schwartz Rounds (Formal)
Structured, facilitated sessions where staff from all disciplines discuss the emotional and social challenges of caregiving. Evidence-based and widely implemented.
Learn moreCompassion Cultivation Training Rollout
Stanford CCARE's structured curriculum for developing compassion. Can be adapted for healthcare settings.
Learn moreMattering Routines for Leaders
Leadership practices that communicate to staff: you matter here. Includes rounding, recognition, and genuine inquiry.
Structural Audit and Redesign
Systematically examining whether organizational structures support or undermine compassionate care. Workload, scheduling, resources, policies.
For your training program
Curriculum Integration
Making compassion an explicit, assessed competency. Teaching the empathy-compassion distinction. Embedding self-compassion practices.
Faculty Development
Training faculty to model and teach compassion. Addressing faculty burnout. Creating supportive supervision.
Student Wellbeing
Normalizing struggle. Teaching coping strategies. Creating peer support structures. Addressing the hidden curriculum.
All practices, by time required
| Time | Practice |
|---|---|
| 5 seconds | Cognitive Reframe |
| 30 seconds | 30-Second Reset |
| 3 minutes | Compassionate Breathing Space |
| 10-20 minutes | Loving-Kindness Meditation |
| 10-15 minutes weekly | Reflective Journal |
| 5-10 minutes | Team Compassion Huddle |
| 30-60 minutes monthly | Small-Scale Rounds |
| 60 minutes monthly | Schwartz Rounds |
Tools to support practice
Compassion Clinic
A guided self-compassion exercise for moments of difficulty.
ODS Assessment Tool
Assess which pathways of occupational distress may be active for you.
Wellbeing Scan
A quick check-in across multiple dimensions of wellbeing.
Finding Your Why
A structured reflection on purpose and meaning in healthcare.
Want to learn more about Occupational Distress Syndrome?
Visit our dedicated site for in-depth resources, assessment tools, and research on ODS.
Learn more about ODSCare differently, not less.
Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.