Helping When People Hurt

Every day at OCC my team and I hear from people who are lost, hurt, and desperate for comfort. Some are in the darkest days in their lives. They face loss, pain, stress, and feeling like no one understands.

Over the years of talking with injured workers, we have learned so much that we want to share. You may know someone who has been diagnosed with a debilitating illness. You may be supporting someone who is going through a rough divorce or someone who is in financial dire straits. It can be hard to know what to do, so I wanted to tell you what we do at OCC to help soothe the people we work with everyday. The first step is making the decision to help.

Some practical ideas:

Be There.
Many people tend to go into hiding when they are in pain. Worse, when we don’t know how to help, we often avoid someone who is hurting. Acknowledge that they are in a tough place and let them know that they can rely on you. Just sitting in silence with someone can bring them a good deal of comfort. 

Listen Up. 
Be a sounding board for someone in pain. It can take time to process what has happened and it usually helps to have someone who listens. You don’t need to solve every problem to help. Just hear them out.

Offer Sanctuary.
When someone has hit a rough patch, the last thing they need is blame or criticism. Give them a safe place to share their pain and keep your conversations confidential. This can help them get back on their feet sooner and with more confidence knowing that you have honored their trust. 

These ideas may seem simplistic, but trust me, they are all-important in helping someone out of a hole and--BONUS!--when you give your time and thought to people in pain, you may be able to help yourself heal from the pain in your own life.