When listeners feels helpless

A fledgling listener loves asking questions that hit the emotional bullseye but are often unprepared for the harder part that comes next.

I recently saw a friend at an event and asked a spicy question, “How’s your heart?”

The tears came. Heart was hurting.

I asked if we could sit, and she gave me a window into her private struggle, which included more betrayal, pain, loneliness, and uncertainty than I could have possibly imagine given how she carries herself.

New listeners—including space holders, facilitators, guides, coaches, and your best friends—struggle with brutal situations because they want to help and can’t, which can make listening can feel like a helpless activity. It’s not.

People go through hard times. That can’t be prevented.
People going through hard things alone? Worse.

But it’s preventable.

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