Understanding the Difference Between Support and Comfort

When something sad, bad, or anxiety producing happens in the life of someone we care about, our immediate instinct is to comfort.  Of course it is – we’re good people!  And often this instinct is useful because comforting is exactly what the situation calls for; for example a child’s bruised knee or a nervous first day on the job are both situations where a “there, there, you’ll be okay” goes a long way. However, in the early days of grief, there is very little anyone can say to take away a griever’s pain and there is very little value in summing up the situation with a positive or inspiring platitude. So, we suggest people hoping to providing support.  In this video podcast, we outline what this new conceptualization means.