We all know them.
Some of us are them.
The strong friends who seem to not only be able to keep themselves afloat; but are always aware of others.
The friends who never skip a beat in checking in on their people.
The invested friends who rarely bring up their own issues but are always checking in on how everyone else is doing.
Here’s the thing.. All of us are struggling through this pandemic.
Including the friend who typically appears to have it all together.
Because right now, they probably don’t.
They’ve never been through a pandemic either.
But here’s the other thing.. Oftentimes these people aren’t used to reaching out and asking for help.
They are the ones who typically do the reaching out.
In fact, asking for help might make them feel like such a burden because they are so aware of how much other people are struggling, that they simply don’t see asking for help or support an option.
So reach out to them.
And when they say “they’re fine”, dig a little deeper.
Show them you care and their emotions aren’t too much for you.
You don’t need to fix them, you just need to let them know their feelings matter too.
Ask them.
Listen to them.
Pray for them.
Sit with them in it.
You might just be opening up the opportunity for someone who feels very alone in their feelings to actually feel safe to be authentic.
Reach out to your friends who always reach out to you.
They may not know how to ask, but they need you, too.
~Kelli Bachara, The Unraveling Blog