To the me who used to try to find the right answer to someone's pain

When looking at my social media timeline, someone's crieslike tweetssometimes flow by.

In the past, every time I found such posts, I would feel like I was going to get sickmyself, and I would panicon my own.

Coming into contactwith them was itself very scary.

After all, I don't know the correct solutionfor someone who is struggling.

To put it extremely, I am neither a professional doctornor a counselor.

Pretending not to see. I didn't even have the luxury of feeling depressedthat I might be a cold-hearted person.

But, at one point, I suddenly realizedsomething.

In the first place, are the people on the other side of the social media screenreally looking for "expert advice"?

People are not savedbecause they received the correct answer.

I learned that when you receive quiet acknowledgment of existence (empathy) that says, "I know that your pain is there," your heart becomes a little lighter.

How we, who are neither doctors nor counselors, can handle this well.

That is, not trying to force the other person to get better.

Changing how you perceive things is a sophisticated technique known as reframing, but it is okay to start by learning little by little from those who have mastered it.

You don't need to rush and aim for perfection from the start.

You don't have to be a doctor who provides the right answer. It is okay if you cannot be a perfect listener right now.

If you feel scared today after encountering someone's painful feelings, it is okay to walk away, and it is perfectly fine to say nothing at all.

You don't have to force yourself to find an answer.

Let's watch over them gently and quietly.

Just by doing that, the small light that you have offered is gently illuminating someone's night on the other side of the SNS screen.

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