webmdave’s house

By psychman33:

Throughout my life, I have been approached by many people in need of
comforting. Apparently, there is some component of my personality that
draws people to me who are in this state.
Image by V О И via Flickr
In my former Christian life, even if I had no real practical help or
advice to give, I could always fall back on the old religious saws,
which basically say that one's fate lay in the hands of an almighty
benevolent being. There is little argument that this idea, when
implicitly believed, is very comforting.

This brings me to the crux of my posting. Recently, a friend began to
confide to me some difficulties he was experiencing. I was able to give
some basic advice, and to express empathy.What do you do to give
comfort to others? What do you tell yourself in tough emotional times?
But, after this, I felt that something more was needed, that he
expected more. He was a fellow unbeliever. So, I know that he was not
looking for any reassurances of a religious nature. However, we were
both at a loss as to what to say next. Being the forthright fellow that
I normally am, I asked him what we, as unbelievers in gods, could do to
get through tough emotional times. His response was, "all we can do is
to get over it, and go on". I agree with that idea. But, I would like
to be able to do more, without resorting to any metaphysical force or
being.

The question I have for all of you, my fellow unbelievers is: What do
you do to give comfort to others? What do you tell yourself in tough
emotional times?