There are people who go through sadness as a momentary and/or passing state that is part of life. However, there are others who have greater difficulties in accepting the sadness they experience, since their emotional state impacts their work, social and family relationships in daily life. And it is that this emotion is experienced as a desolation caused by disappointments and impacts both the body and the thoughts.
When we encounter these people, we need effective tools to help them. Do you want to know more about this? In this Psychology-Online article, we will provide you with information about how to comfort someone who is sad.
Index
- respect the person
- Mention that therapy addresses sadness
- appeal to art
- show empathy
- not hold accountable
- silence
- Give you a space to talk
- Reinforce positive aspects of the person
- Be present if the person requires it
- Suggest meditation
Respect the person.
The first thing we must understand is that consolation does not consist in preventing the person from experiencing sadness for some reason, but rather
Mention that therapy addresses sadness.
Sometimes we don't have enough tools to help someone who is sad. In some cases, the situation may exceed our own limits of maneuver or have a level of severity that we cannot address.
However, psychological therapy works on the emotions, thoughts, and behaviors that affect people's symptoms. In the case of people who carry sadness, therapy allows them to overcome it through different strategies aimed at emotional stability.
If you want information on the different types of therapy that you can recommend to that person, see our article on Types of psychotherapy: techniques and methods.
Appeal to art.
If you want to know how to comfort someone who is sad, you should know that art is a vehicle for channeling feelings. Artists show their emotions through artistic productions that take on different forms.
For this reason, in moments of sadness, one way to comfort the person is to mention that any form of artistic expression can favor the reduction of the feelings involved. When you can express what generates sadness, there is immediate relief. That's what it's all about art therapy.
Show empathy.
Empathy can be defined as the ability to put yourself in another person's shoes. As an example, in the case of a sad person, empathy can be carried out when they are told that there is someone who understands them. In general terms, there is a great peace when you know that there are other people who understand the feeling that the person is going through.
Do not hold responsible.
One of the most common mistakes that can be made is to make the person responsible for what they are experiencing. Sadness is not an emotion that develops voluntarily, but rather arises from some unpleasant situation that has been experienced. For this reason, holding a person responsible for something that happened to him reinforces the feeling of guilt that negatively affects their daily life. If we avoid this aspect, we will make the person feel comforted and contained.
Make silence.
In relation to the previous points, it is possible to mention that the simple fact that the person feels contained and listened to favors consolation. when you don't know what to say Faced with the experience of a painful situation, it is preferable to be silent rather than say words or phrases that do not contribute something valuable to the moment.
Give him a space to talk.
When sadness is put into words, anguish subsides. Therefore, if you wonder how to comfort someone who is sad, you should know that if you talk to that person about what is causing them discomfort, relief arises. Here it is important to mention that the fact of giving him a space to talk can give him some consolation, since you will know who to turn to right now.
Reinforce positive aspects of the person.
Sadness directly affects the person's perception and self-esteem. In these situations, unpleasant sensations usually appear with respect to personal evaluation. For this reason, it is convenient highlight the positive qualities of the person to face the difficult moments of life. This enables a greater confidence of the person both in their own strengths and in others.
In this post we tell you How to psychologically help a person with low self-esteem.
Be present if the person requires it.
This is one of the most important points to be kept in mind. As we have said before, consolation can be achieved through the presence and accompaniment of those who are suffering. Sometimes, with the simple fact of letting him know that the person is available for what is needed, an appeasement of sadness is achieved. However, here we must consider that no situation should be forced for which the person is not ready.
Suggest doing meditation.
As a final piece of advice on how to comfort someone who is sad, talk to them about meditation, a practice that lies in focusing on aspects of the present without giving greater importance to the past and future. Furthermore, this approach seeks relaxation of both the body and the mind. This can encourage a cessation of thoughts linked to sadness.
To help you in this regard, we suggest you take a look at our article Types of meditation and its benefits, where we explain 9 techniques.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to How to comfort someone who is sad, we recommend that you enter our category of Emotions.
Bibliography
- Alvarez, JM. (2013). Sadness and its nuances. Topics of Psychoanalysis Journal, 6 (1), 1-14.
- Cuervo Martínez, A., Izzedin Bouquet, R. (2007). Sadness, Depression and Self-regulation in Children. Psychological Thesis Magazine, 2 (1), 35-47.
