Tough love or a shoulder to cry on?

[Mark]

As I have been there and lived through the nightmare of anxiety and phobias I think I am in a position to answer this question. Personally I think there is both a time for tough love and a time to offer a shoulder to cry on. However, knowing what to offer and when to offer it, well I dont think there is any hard and fast rule?

 

[GH0STP03T]

As I have been there and lived through the nightmare of anxiety and phobias I think I am in a position to answer this question. Personally I think there is both a time for tough love and a time to offer a shoulder to cry on. However, knowing what to offer and when to offer it, well I dont think there is any hard and fast rule?

I agree with this entirely. Tough love can feel like a bitter pill to swallow but in the end may prove the most effective medicine.

 

[Mark]

Knowing when, and perhaps more importantly, how to give this tough love is the key - not easy at all!

 

[Jade]

I agree that it should be an equal measure of tough love and a shoulder to cry on. It’s healthy to get your feelings out and to have someone to be empathetic and listen but if I was to go into a panic attack or become hysterical I think the tough love approach would be the most effective way for me to snap out of it. Mind you at the time I didn’t always see it this way as I can be quite sensitive but when I look back in the long run of the situation tough love did help me.

 

[Mark]

The bottom line is that we are all different and there is no one size fits all approach.

 

[Jade]

The bottom line is that we are all different and there is no one size fits all approach.

Exactly Mark. If you are close to somebody with anxiety and phobias then you could assume your going to know what that person is like and the best approach to take with them. If your dealing with the kind of person that is extremely sensitive and will take the tough love approach to heart and cause them more stress then offering a shoulder to cry on would be a better option and vice versa.