A Magic Phrase
Posted: January 27, 2014
We all get sucked it....at least sometimes! People start telling us their problems and issues and we listen....
We start to feel like we need to help. We even sometimes are expected to help. Whether it be family drama, work drama, or whatever, it can sometimes suck us in! Setting boundaries is great. We talked about boundaries before....check here and here.
Here's an easy phrase, to stay somewhat connected to someone but still setting the boundary:
"What are you going to do?"
When someone is sharing their woes and you find yourself not knowing what to say and not wanting to get sucked in....share some empathy, then put it back to them. Genuinely share some empathy: "Wow! How frustrating!" or "I am so sorry to hear about that." And then, ask them the magic questions, "What are you going to do about that?" Then....just listen.