Compassion and empathy for sure makes you feel better, it is more heart chakra in nature. The root is more focused on self, the raw physical needs and feeling fully secured in those areas. Some examples are when someone is worried about money, don't sleep enough, don't eat enough, insecurity with themselves, don't know what to do with their life. Kind of like the Manslow hierarchy of human needs and the safety one being balanced before you are able to focus on truly being your best in relationships or self-actualization.