What to say when a friend tells you they have been diagnosed with something serious
The five words that always work, the two questions to ask after, and what to send once the call ends
Topic
hard-conversations
10 articles tagged hard-conversations.
How to show up for a friend going through a divorce
The one question to ask, what to volunteer without being asked, and the well-meaning sentences you need to stop saying
The friend whose kid is struggling — what to say and what not to say
The listening posture, the sentences that actually help, and the one instinct you have to fight when your friend's child is in trouble
When a friend disappears for a month
Three reasons a friend goes quiet, the one message that works for all of them, and how to hold steady while you wait
When a friend is grieving something the world does not recognize as loss
When your friend loses a pet, a pregnancy, a job, or a plan — the exact words to say and what to send that week
What to bring to a bereavement, when food is the wrong answer
Three quiet options for the friend whose fridge is already full — and the short, honest note that goes with each of them
When a friend's marriage is quietly ending
What to notice, what to name, and what not to volunteer when your friend's marriage is coming apart in slow motion
How to be the person a friend calls when they are spiraling
The posture that steadies a spiraling friend, the sentence that lands, and the well-meaning moves that make it worse
When you are the person who has to say the hard thing
The four-sentence structure for delivering difficult news to a friend — and how to stay in the room after the words land
When the person you are grieving is your friend
Friend-grief is a double loss — the person, and the community that only made sense with them in it. Here is what to say