Guide to know how to provide emotional first aid
There are frequent situations in which people in our environment are having a bad time and it's hard for us to know how to react to lend support .
In these cases there are moments of uncertainty, in part, because we do not know if the initiatives we are undertaking to help these people are paying off or if, on the contrary, they place a greater burden on those who are living through a bad time.
Guide to know how to provide emotional first aid
Then you can read Some fundamental ideas that will help you guide your emotional support initiatives in the best possible way.
1. Ask what they want from you
Before a sad person, one of the first questions you should ask is: What can I do for you? It is at that moment when the emotional support of truth begins, rather than in the investigation of what has happened to him. Prioritize your well-being to your curiosity to know what might happen to you.
2. Listen to what you are told
Providing support is, among other things, know how to listen and make it easier for the other to vent release tensions. That is why you should not take such an active role to clearly lead the relationship that you and the sad person have. Support is just that: be willing to help the other person , pay attention to their needs, and not saturate it with advice or imposed activities. Therefore, the most important thing you can do is to practice active listening , that is, speak less than the other person and do it so that she is the one who, if she wants, can express herself.
3. Do not underestimate the silences
You do not have to feel uncomfortable if the time you spend giving company to the other person is plagued by silences : its normal. Accompanying this person physically and you can be helping them, and the words are something secondary usually. Try, also, that the other person notices that for you there is no problem in remaining long periods without saying anything. That way you will not have to act by compromise.
4. Crying is not bad
It seems absurd to have to say it, but it is never wrong to remember this. Today cry is badly seen , especially in the case of men, and yet it is a mechanism present in all cultures that serves to relieve tension, exhaust the body and, in a certain way, alleviate it. It is also a good time to strengthen ties through the embrace , since this physical contact can cause that from that moment on the person who is sad feels more sheltered and freer to externalize the thoughts and feelings that afflict her.
You can complement this point by reading the following article: "How to give bad news? 12 emotional keys"5. Respect your privacy
Provide emotional support to someone It does not mean that we are sealing a pact with that person according to which you offer company in exchange for revealing all the reasons for your sadness. One side of this feeling of affliction is verbalizable, but there is another that irremediably remains in the intimacy and is subjective, or the person prefers not to reveal it. It is important to respect that.
6. Look at the important details
Someone who is going through a bad time is able to spend a lot of time pondering what is happening or focusing on their emotions and, therefore, is able to forget important things of his day to day . If you can, try to be there to see if this person is overlooking important things both in their day-to-day planning and in the small gestures and movements that they can do.
7. Respect your desire for loneliness
There are many people who prefer to be alone when they are sad Therefore, do not insist on being next to them, whatever they say and do what they do. By leaving a space you can be helping them to recover and, in any case, you can always make it clear that they can count on your company at any time if at any time they feel like it.
