Do Different Meditations Support One Another?

I have tried meditating on compassion, just as I've tried meditating on the breath. Currently, these days, I find it hard to meditate on compassion. My question is: **Would practising meditation of any kind improve a meditation of another kind, e.g. practising breath meditation would increase compassion meditation's effectiveness?** Simply put, does every meditation type share at least some aspects with others, some basic features such as--I suppose--gathering attention, learning patience, and so on? Thus, improving those aspects through breath meditation might extend to compassion meditation? Thank you