Teaching with empathy is an approach that values the emotional quality of both teacher and student experiences. To incorporate teacher empathy into our teaching practice, we must first recognize that distress is inevitable, and that building skills to deal with stressful situations is an important investment in our future mental health. Communication skills such as listening, validating, and reframing are useful in the midst of student interactions. Designing a personal strategy to handle email communications is also essential, as much of our student communication occurs via this route. Having a short list of phone numbers and email addresses for campus emergency contacts, such as the dean of students or campus counseling center, is another important step in preparedness. Creating appropriate boundaries, stepping back, and taking time for self awareness all help to preserve teacher mental health. The overall goal is to position ourselves with the mental and emotional resources to interact with students in a manner that leads to successful student outcomes, and leaves us with a feeling of compassion satisfaction, rather than compassion fatigue.