Friday, June 2, 2017

Please don't do this.

I know you mean well, but please don't do this. When someone shares they are having some sort of difficulty, many people's first response is to say something they think is supportive. "Oh, I had that problem and solved it easily." Or, "I had a friend who had that thus and so and it's no big deal." While we think this is supportive and reassuring, we don't know the person's entire situation and what we're saying might actually make them feel inadequate or despairing of their situation.

Here's what works better. "I'm sorry you're having thus and so difficulty. That must be hard. Please let me know if there is any way I can support or help you." This leaves it open to the person being able to ask for specific assistance from you while letting them know you feel compassion for their situation.

There's lots of people going through various difficulties right now and we can best show our support by offering a compassionate response rather than one that minimizes their suffering.


1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much for this. So simple yet so profound. xoxoxo

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