General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: "Cowardly, Selfish" [View all]TygrBright
(20,755 posts)Feeling helpless in the face of someone else's pain-- especially when it's someone you love-- can be a terrible feeling indeed.
All too often, we rush to "fix" that other person's pain partly because of our own terrible feeling of helplessness. Downthread someone posted some links to Hyperboleandahalf blog, one of the best pieces on depression on the whole Intertoobz, in my opinion.
And she addresses this-- really, what CAN you do for someone else?
Acknowledge their pain without burdening them with your consciousness of it. If they reach out, it's incredibly significant, more than you may be able to imagine, because sometimes the reaching out looks so casual and small. But simply connecting in those moments can be more helpful than you know.
appreciatively,
Bright