We were all with a close person while she was in an unpleasant emotional state, in this situation we wanted to provide emotional support and act as support, but we didn’t know exactly how to do it.
In literature, emotional support can be understood as: “Establishing a personal relationship between the affected person and the person seeking help, in order to provide peace of mind and support, generate a climate of trust, reduce fears and anxieties, incentivize their expression and help them adapt to the problem?”(Elsass, Duedahl and Cols. , 1987).
- By providing effective emotional accompaniment.
- What we do is generate and protect a space of listening.
- Security and comfort in which the other can express themselves freely.
- Without feeling judged.
- In consultation.
- What we do.
- After evaluating the case.
- Is to provide a series of tools that the person can use to get out of this situation.
However, if we are not professionals, what can we do, because here you have some kind of first aid kit that we can apply in these situations.
“If you need a hand, remember that I have two”. – Santo Agostinho-
It is about looking for a comfortable place, away from distractions (television, radio, mobile phones, other people who may appear) where the person feels safe to engage in a dialogue, once initiated should be interrupted by a few external elements. as much as possible.
Listening carefully and carefully is one of the best ways to provide emotional support. Often, a person needs someone to help him build an account of what happened—a relationship he can integrate into his or her story and live with.
On the other hand, listening does not provide solutions, you may know exactly what you would do for yourself, but think that this place is just this person, configured by a lot of peculiarities.
Also try to include in your reporting memory the smallest possible items you can collect. You may think the person didn’t do something out of shame, but unless I tell you, that feeling isn’t necessarily part of what happened. .
“The purpose of human life is to serve, to be compassionate, and to want to help others. -Albert Schweitzer-
We have already emphasized that empathy is still a kind of utopia: it is not possible to put yourself in the place of the other, with this we do not want to dismiss the idea of trying to understand what is going on from your point of view. view (it will always be better than doing it from ours).
In this sense, we must not forget to warn, because this exercise, by definition, is imperfect.
In case the person starts crying, let them express the emotion. Crying is one of the best ways to show your emotions and heal your soul. It’s one of the best ways to say, ‘I’m human and I need your company. . ” Don’t try to stop crying, as this can make you understand or embarrass.
Affection is rarely too much. This can be a feedback between us, this signal that confirms that we have heard, the message we follow, this affection can materialize with a hug, but also with a gesture or simply with words.
What does it mean to help? Help is an art, like any art, requires a skill that can be learned and exercised, it also requires empathy for the person asking for help, that is, we need to understand what belongs to him and at the same time transcend him and direct him into a more global context?. – Bert Hellinger-
The professional accompaniment of qualified professionals will always help, there will be situations that require it and others that do not, but will always be added.
Fortunately, much of society has begun to question the idea that only fools consult psychologists, on the contrary, they turn to people who love each other and who like to take care of their mental health.