If you’ve been through a divorce, you know how difficult it can be. However, what do you do when your friend is divorcing? It’s not uncommon to have a lot of questions about how to offer divorce support. Still, there are a few key things to keep in mind…
Divorce Support: Helping A Friend
Use positive language
When offering divorce support, the words you use can have a lot of impact. This isn’t the time to tell your friend “I told you they were no good”or “You should’ve listened to me”. Odds are, they’re already feeling very down on themselves. Comments like that will only make them feel worse.
Instead, keep your language positive and supportive. Offer them encouraging words of support instead of pointing out their mistakes. Also, take some time to just listen to them. Sometimes, all they need is someone to listen to how they’re feeling.
Offer a helping hand
Divorce can involve a lot of moving around, scheduling appointments, and can be a pretty big time sink. As a result, your friend might find themselves struggling to juggle everything. That’s where you come in. One helpful way to offer divorce support is to give them a hand with taking care of things.
For example, maybe your friend has a young kid, and they can’t find any babysitters for them while they meet with their ex. You can offer to give your friend a hand by watching their kid for them. Little things like that go a long way in making your friend’s divorce just a bit easier.
Keep them included
Just because your friend is divorcing doesn’t mean you can’t treat them like a friend still. Yes, they may be a bit more busy than usual. However, don’t let that discourage you from including them in things. In fact, doing so is a big part of divorce support.
If you know you and other friends might be going out, remember to invite your friend. That way, your friend still sees that you value their friendship. Even if they can’t, don’t take it personally. Know that even offering probably made them feel a whole lot better.
