How To Help A Loved One Get Through A Crisis
It’s hard, even heartbreaking, to watch a loved one going through a challenging time in their lives. You will want to help them, but you might not know quite what you can do. There is good news; however, there will always be something you can do, whether it’s something tangible or something supportive. No matter what, if it helps your loved one and gives them the strength and knowledge they need to keep fighting through whatever is happening, you’ll have done your best. Read on to find out just some of the ways you can help a loved one going through a crisis in their lives.
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Be Emotionally Supportive
In some cases, there is nothing you can do in a physical sense to help your loved one get through whatever issues or problems they are experiencing, no matter how much you might want to. Racking your brain for a solution is just going to make you more stressed, and it will also mean that you won’t be there for your family member or friend.
Instead of searching for something you can do that will help make things better, you can be emotionally supportive. You can be there for your loved ones; you can see how they are struggling and give them help and advice if you have it, or be around them when they need a shoulder to cry on. Letting them know you will be there for them no matter what and telling them to ask for help when they’re ready can make a big difference, even if you never know it.
Get Through A Crisis: Look At The Positive
When someone is having a challenging time, telling them to look at the positive or not so bad isn’t necessarily a good thing to do. In fact, it could make the situation worse since finding the positive in some challenging situations is not appropriate or possible – at least when the emotions or issues it has caused are still raw.
However, there will come a time when things are a little less painful, even if they are still a challenge, and at this point, it might be possible to re-frame the situation and look at it from a different, more positive perspective. It can be hard to see the positive in something that appears to be a crisis, but because you have a slightly more detached view of things, being a friend who wants to help and not the person centrally involved, you may be able to help by spotting what could be seen as good.
Work Past The Mistake
Sometimes a life crisis can be the result of a mistake, some big and some small. No matter what consequences come from that mistake, whether it’s the end of a relationship, being fired, needing bail bonds, or being injured, that single mistake can end up haunting the person involved for many years to come.
Not only is this extremely unpleasant, but it also means that their mental health can be affected, making the initial problem a much bigger one.
The best thing to do as a friend or family member who wants to help in this situation is to assist your loved one in understanding that their mistake was just that – a mistake – and that it shouldn’t define them, even if it led to additional problems in their life. You can show your loved one that there is much more to think about than something happened in the past, even if the results are still ongoing today.
Be Practical
Depending on what the issue was in the first place, there might be some practical things you can do to help your loved one. They might need a place to stay, or they might need to borrow some money. It could be that they need you to speak to someone on their behalf, or perhaps they’re in the hospital, and you offer to keep an eye on their home or feed their pets.
Whatever it is, something practical like this can be perfect for both of you. It will help the person who is going through something difficult, and it will mean you have something to do that you know will make a difference.
Whatever you do, make sure you’re acting in your loved one’s best interests, and don’t do anything without their permission; sometimes, you can think you’re doing a good thing when in fact, you are causing things to become worse.
