Sharing – Sometimes ‘Let Me Know If You Need Anything’ Is The Worst Thing You Can Say
I’ve witnessed this most obviously when my wife and I both lost our parents, but I’ve been on both sides of it as well, not knowing what to do and saying something like the quote above.
The reality is that we don’t deal well when we can’t fix a situation:
“We may know there is nothing we can say or do that will change the situation, and that can make us uncomfortable or anxious,” Naseem said. And sometimes, instead of sitting with that discomfort, we create distance.
It doesn’t have to be that way, though. We can accept that we can’t change the situation and remind someone that they’re not alone.
That can look like acts of kindness, invites to silly things like watching a TV show, or sharing memes you thought they’d like, even if they don’t always respond. It’s a persistent effort to stay connected, not to the detriment of your own health, but in small ways that let someone know that you still think about them.
Those bits of connectedness can make all the difference in the world, even if they don’t tell you.
