"Be Strong"
Less helpful
“God doesn’t give you any more than you can handle”
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”
“You need to be strong like your mother”
“You need to be strong for your mother, children, etc.”
“Be strong and you’ll get through it”
More helpful
“It sounds like this is really hard”
“How are you doing with all this?”
“I’m so glad you showed up here today”
“I’m here, if you want to talk now”
“I can only imagine how you’ve coped”
"Be Faithful"
Less helpful
“God doesn’t give you any more than you can handle”
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”
“You need to be strong like your mother”
“You need to be strong for your mother, children, etc.”
“Be strong and you’ll get through it”
More Helpful
“It sounds like it’s impossible to see what’s ahead”
“I’m so sorry this has happened”
“I was so sad to hear the news about your father”
“You’ve had a lot to deal with all at once”
“It isn’t fair, is it?”
“I believe in you”
"Be Positive"
Less helpful
“Something good will come out of this”
“It happened for the best”
“You are lucky that your father died peacefully”
“Be grateful it wasn’t worse”
“You shouldn’t be so angry”
“You’re going to be just fine”
More helpful
“It sounds like this is really hard”
“How are you doing with all this?”
“I’m so glad you showed up here today”
“I’m here, if you want to talk now”
“I can only imagine how you’ve coped”
"Asking Why?"
Less helpful
“Why didn’t you leave sooner?” (approaching problem)
“Why didn’t your sister call you sooner?”
“Why didn’t you stop _______ when you found out about…?”
“Why do you think God is putting you through this?”
More helpful
“Sounds like you were going through hell”
“I’m sorry to hear no one called you in time”
“It can be so hard to quit old habits”
“What you just told me sounds outrageous”
"Get Over It"
Less helpful
“It’s time to put this behind you”
“You need to keep busy, and get back to work”
“You have your whole life ahead of you”
“Just think how you’ll be doing by this time next year”
More helpful
“This might take time”
“You’ll know the right time to return to work”
“Allow some time for this”
“Take all the time you need for yourself”