My Friend Is Getting Divorced. What Can I Say Or Do To Help?

 Although your friend is female my answers are equally helpful to a man.

1. Give him/her the opportunity to talk. Often, in an effort to be helpful, we ourselves talk too much.
2. Listen when he/she talks. As I said, in an effort to be helpful, we ourselves talk too much.
3. Don’t judge or criticize what the person is saying. This is not the time to make constructive suggestions!
4. Allow them to express feelings/allow them to feel feelings.
5. Tell them about your own experiences, if you have divorced yourself, so that they  don’t feel alone.
6. Be helpful- Life’s everyday chores and responsibilities feel overwhelming to someone getting divorced. A helping hand is really appreciated.
7. Depending on the stage of your friend’s divorce, try to shed a positive light on his/her future life. Although unexpected, and often unwanted, many of life's milestones have a silver lining and divorce is no exception.                

By, Divorce Information NOW   "Divorce Information Now" is an ongoing column where readers can submit questions about divorce in the comment stream and we will respond in subsequent blogs. Find us at http://www.divorceinformationnow.com/