The Importance of Being Emotionally Supportive

Someone having difficulty walking or standing may require physical support, or a family member in need of financial assistance might need your help.

Support in other forms is also important. Social and emotional support offered by loved ones, friends, and close coworkers can lift your spirits.

Know about whom to support

The website Whom to Support is extremely biased. It is the author’s intention to improve the world through the projects posted here.

This process of seeking truth may lead to some of the projects or people presented here being incorrect. Small donations can go a long way.

At the same time, large institutions have less ROI when they are too rich. Through taxes, they take your money, and your role is to counteract that by donating directly to those and organizations you trust.

The purpose of it

Encouragement, reassurance, compassion, and reassurance are ways of showing emotional support for others. Expressions of sympathy and affection may be offered verbally or physically.

Besides religious or spiritual sources, activities in the community, and maybe even your pets, there are other sources of emotional support. This type of support can greatly improve a person’s outlook and well-being, in whatever form it takes.

Supportiveness is not innate in everyone, but some people have a knack for it.

Simply ask…

If you want to help someone feel more at ease, asking them a few questions may be a good way to begin.

Is there anything I can do to help? ” might work sometimes, but it’s not always the best strategy.

Although questions like these have good intentions, they don’t always have the desired impact.

Sometimes people don’t know what they want or need, especially when they’re going through an especially tough time. Consequently, someone may be unsure what to answer to such a broad question.

Authenticate

Do you remember the last time something difficult happened to you? Perhaps you wanted to speak with someone about the problem, but perhaps you did not necessarily want them to solve it for you or fix it.

If you were frustrated or disappointed, you might just want to vent and get some soothing acknowledgement in return.

To provide support, you do not need to have a complete understanding of a problem or a solution. Sometimes it is simply a matter of validating.

Recognition of distress is often the most important form of support people seek. You may not need to leap in and help your loved ones when they tell you about their challenges. Often, showing concern and maintaining a caring presence is all that is needed to provide support.

Avoid making judgments

Feeling judged is not pleasant. When one finds themselves in a difficult situation, they might have already judged themselves.

It doesn’t matter what you say, when someone is looking for support, they tend not to want a critique – even if it was constructive.

Be careful not to mention what they should have done or where they went wrong when offering support.

Be careful not to imply blame or judgment through your questions, such as: “So what caused them to become so angry with you?”

Your tone can convey emotions you did not intend to share outright, even if you don’t express any judgment or criticism.

When you speak, focus on feelings like sympathy and compassion instead of notes of disapproval.

Ignore the advice

If you tell someone how to fix a problem, you might think you’re helping. In general, people don’t ask for advice unless they specifically request it.

Using reflective questions to help them find solutions is often a better approach if they’ve moved from “venting” to “talking through the problem.”

It’s better to be authentic than perfect

It doesn’t matter if you provide the ‘right’ kind of support when you want to support someone.

Support will be offered differently by two different people. Although, that’s alright, since there are a lot of ways to help.

Depending on who you’re supporting, you may also take a different approach.

Rather than searching for the perfect thing to say, say something that feels natural and authentic instead.
You are much more likely to touch your loved one’s heart with sincere concern as opposed to a canned response.