What Do You Say To Someone Who Is Sad?

“Hey, what in the world are you doing? Why are all these books scattered everywhere? You’re making a big mess. This had better be for a very good reason. And you’d better be cleaning all this up. What are you looking for anyway?”

“If you’re just gonna nag at me, then don’t bother. Just go away. I’m busy, okay?”

“Busy with what? Again, what are you doing?”

“What’s it look like? I’m reading, duh.”

“Oh for the love of- what are you reading then? What are these books about anyway? Wait, what is this? What exactly are you trying to find? What’s the matter anyway?”

“Well, one of my friends is feeling all sad and depressed and miserable about the stuff going on in her life, and, well, ya know, I wanted to cheer her up, make her feel better, but I don’t know what to say.”

“So, you thought you’d go to the library and go through all the books here in search of the answer to your question? Do you really think you’ll find the answers in a book?”

“I dunno. Maybe. I mean, I tried to search the Internet first, but I didn’t get no satisfactory answer at all. So, I thought I’d try books this time.”

“Look, do you really think you need to find the answers to this? You already know. There’s no need to look.”

“What do you mean? How should I know? I don’t know anything. What am I supposed to say to her?”

“The truth. Just don’t lie to her. Be sincere. Say what you want to say.”

“You’re kidding, right? Is it really that easy? Is that really all there is to it?”

Comments (from back when this used to be posted elsewhere):

Delfin4 (&delfin4):
Sometimes, silence is the best way to facing someone is sad... sometimes... :)

Freya (in reply to Delfin4):
Yeah, sometimes, one does not have to say anything to a person who is sad. One just needs to be there for that person. One just needs to show that person that he or she is not alone and that one is always there for her.

Sometimes, one just has to stand by your side and reassure you and show you that there's someone there for you who will try to help you and cheer you up and just be there for you whenever you're feeling sad and depressed.

Donna (&littlefoot1026):
A listening ear is all there should be... you can only talk when you are asked for advice.. ;o)

Freya (in reply to Donna):
Yeah, sometimes, a person might need someone to talk to. Sometimes, a person just wants to talk about his or her problems or whatever might be bothering him or her or making him or her sad and they don't want to be judged or mocked or made fun of; all they want is someone who will listen to them and not lie to them or say insincere things to them.

Sometimes, that's really all they want and they wouldn't want advice or that person trying to fix things, etc. But, there are times when they might ask for advice.

*Notes:
- Sad anime girl art print on canvas pic is from Amazon.com