Sometimes, caring too much can feel like a burden…to others and even to ourselves.
When someone comes to you and shares their problems, it doesn’t always mean they’re asking for advice. Often, all they really need is someone who listens…quietly, fully, without trying to fix anything.
There are many ways to care for someone. Giving advice can feel fulfilling, especially when it’s received with appreciation. But not everyone will choose to follow what we suggest…and that’s okay. Each person has the right to walk their own path, in their own way, at their own pace.
For example, when a woman shares her struggles at work or with her friends to her husband, he may quickly offer advice to try and stop her from feeling unhappy. While his intentions are good, this can often make her feel more misunderstood, not less.
Or when friends confide in us about pain in their relationships or family life, we might feel the urge to jump in…to fix, to guide, or even prove that our way might work better. Parents, too, often rush to solve things for their children, thinking it will ease their burden.
But sometimes, the kindest thing we can do…
is just to trust.
Trust that the people we love will find their own answers.
Trust that being there…fully present and supportive…is more powerful than any solution we could offer.
Everyone deserves the freedom to choose their own way. And we can love them, deeply and unconditionally, even as we let go.
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