Photo by Jackson David on Unsplash
In life ridden with defiance and obstacles, there’s an underappreciated power in providing emotional support to those who need it most.
They say change is the only constant in the world.
What comes with these changes may be opportunities for growth and development and positive turn of events that are beneficial to people. But, at the same time, what accompanies these shifts are uncertainties in treading foreign paths, pains that come with facing new circumstances, and possible failures in exchange for challenging the norm and breaking predictability.
Hence, perhaps, change isn’t the only constant in the world, especially when it coexists with both opportunities and adversities.
Humanity Is Problem-Seeking, and This Can Be Tiring
The world can be primarily and quickly reduced to a binary pattern – day/night, love/hate, life/death.
In decision-making, it’s either this or that and nothing in between. Religion and spiritual beliefs preach about humanity’s responsibility to choose between good and evil. The sciences are designed to explore and establish truths and falsities. The world, often deemed too complex, can fundamentally be reduced to either right or wrong, its experiences good or bad.
This binaric pattern is reflected and observed everywhere, influencing everything. It’s the mechanism governing human existence, as they’re constantly strung in between two points and pulled in either side like opposing forces. In a world filled with As or Bs and either or’s, humans aim to achieve balance and a sense of order, which is laborious.
In a complicated world, the mind is hardwired to understand.
It’s designed to break matters down, hoping that reducing them to the simplest forms allows for a better grasp and understanding. Hence, in the face of countless encounters, the mind constantly scrutinizes circumstances and categorizes them into what’s ordinary and possibly detrimental. It’s always on top of things, so when the latter occurs, it can immediately resolve matters as quickly as possible and give individuals a sense of control.
However, in a world abundant in problems, the courage to overcome and power through can be exhausting. While humans are innately resilient, engraved deep in their DNAs is the capacity to toughen up and bounce back from life’s consequential shifts, it doesn’t make it less demanding.
Emotional Support, Getting Through With Someone Else
Author Teresa Haven Pelinski founded her ministry to encourage individuals who need emotional support primarily. Much of her ministry is designed to alleviate people’s woes, providing them the relief necessary to unburden their growth.
This initiative perfectly captures people’s tendency to connect, seeking and providing warmth to each other. Although others might find it challenging, people are designed to build each other up, strengthening and consoling one another when circumstances require it. Life is troubling, and the burden doubles when they avoid accepting help from those capable of sharing the weight with them. Emotional support may not always be easy, but taking the initiative to provide is enough.
When people run out of strength to keep themselves afloat, they have nowhere else to go but to those around them. Emotional support helps people provide for each other. It’s the selfless gesture of boosting someone else’s confidence, courage, and strength once they’re running low – a provision of means for them to succeed in life. Social as they are, humans thrive the most when they’re there for each other.
No man is an island.
Regardless of circumstances, people do best when they have others to help them. They thrive with a stable support system that helps and listens to their woes without judgment.
Often, the best way to help people isn’t through physical means. There will be moments when support means making them feel heard or seen, when those around them listen or are present as they process their problems. Emotional support is among the strongest means of helping others through their toughest time. It makes them realize they aren’t alone in whatever they’re facing, helping them know they’ll get through the problem.