Wednesday Quote of the Week: Joel Sax from “Pax Nortona”
Posted by Mentally Interesting on April 26, 2006
Principles that I strive to follow: Listen before you decide to speak. Affirm the feelings, no matter how horrendous the actions might be. When someone is in depression, encourage. When someone is in mania, just shut up and listen. It is better to say “I feel your pain and I want you to know that you are not alone. I’m here to listen” than to say “This is how I get rid of that” which often amounts to “How can you be so stupid as to get yourself in that position?” The aim is to help the person stabilize, not to give them a guilt trip for becoming unbalanced. And remember that your words do affect others.
Read the rest of Joel's post: "Too Full of Feedback" for more on his recent experience in a support group and recommendations on how to be supportive.
