How to comfort someone

I think being able to make someone feel better is a superpower and one that I often fail at when I go into problem-solving mode too soon. This article outlines “The Four States of Distress” — 1. Shocked. 2. Feeling bad and not wanting to feel better. 3. Ready to feel better. 4. Feeling better and needing solutions. — and suggests the most helpful actions you can take to comfort someone at each state. It also shines a light on “comfort languages,” and after some thought, I recognized my comfort language is having someone help me explore and understand my feelings (and distraction helps too!). — CD