When someone is going through a difficult time and is sharing it with you, don’t talk about similar problems you’re having as a way to relate. Instead, just listen.

When someone’s sharing something difficult that they’re going through, so many people get this urge to “empathize” by replying with similar struggles of their own. This is one of the worst things you can do when someone is trying to get something off their chest to you.

Instead of talking about yourself, just listen to them. Make them feel heard. Ask questions and help them work through it themselves. More often than we realize, people just to need to feel validated and heard when they’re going through something personally difficult.