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Spare Me the Platitudes: How to Respond When Your Friend Is in Pain
With each trite, “Cheer up!” response, I felt myself retreating further into my shell. I didn’t want platitudes. I wanted someone to feel the weight of my disappointment and sit with me in it. Rationally, I knew the pain would pass. But in that moment, all I wanted was someone to cry with me.
Hungry Heart, Starving Body
At the age of ten, my whole world started collapsing around me. Swept up in the emotional storm of my family crisis, I clawed frantically at anything that might give me some semblance of stability. Food was one of those things; although I couldn’t control the chaos around me, I could control what I ate.
Misery Needs Company
By the time it was my turn to share, fear and panic had subsided within me. Listening to my friends’ anxieties and frustrations made me realize I was not alone. I didn’t need to hide my bitterness or sorrow from my friends. Their authenticity gave me the courage to be genuine.