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Assess, Ask and Act: How You Can Support Someone Through Loss and Transition

Trying to support a friend or family member while they are going through a major life transition can be a very helpless feeling.  We don’t know what to do, what to say, or how to act.  Are we being supportive enough?  Are we too much “in their business”?  I haven’t heard from her in awhile…does that mean she wants me to leave her alone?

My “major life transition” happened four years ago when I became a widow.  Since then, I have realized that the need for support doesn’t just happen when someone dies:  Divorce, job loss, infertility…so many things can completely change the scope or our lives.  And in fact, that’s what loss is:  Losing the life you thought you were going to have.