Granted, that is not the nicest article title ever, but it is excellent advice for helping a friend who is going through a difficult time. Often, our first instinct is to stay away. We do not want to get involved. We want to avoid the mess. We convince ourselves that our friend has enough going on and we would only be in the way. None of that is true! Avoiding your friend only isolates them and makes them feel even more alone. What they need is your presence. Period! You do not need to have answers or give advice. That is where the shut-up part comes. When things go wrong, we ask “Why did this happen?” We want to solve the puzzle. “Cause and effect” makes sense to us. Sometimes there is a direct cause that needs to be addressed, but often the issues are much more complicated than that. More to the point, placing blame does not help....
