When I recall my experiences of feeling heard and deeply understood by someone, I know how much the experiences helped me to cope With (对付) whatever I was dealing with at the time. Caring people who I have turned to in difficult times helped me the most by listening and asking about my feelings.
During one of my volunteer jobs at a local HIV and cancer clinic, I found the helpfulness of empathic (感情移入的) listening. As a volunteer I was providing emotional support for people with health related problems. Empathic listening really made a difference on how patients felt about their health problems. By sharing about their pain and suffering and my willingness to listen, they felt less alone.
We can make life easier for each other by becoming a better listener and encouraging each other to share our feelings. We can become a better listener by avoiding giving advice and trying to solve problems unless we are asked to do so. Pressuring others to solve their life problems—“our ways”— is not helpful. Most people intuitively (凭直觉地) know how to solve their own problems. As a listener it's important to be patient and not to interrupt the speaker. Let them know it's OK to talk about their feelings and support them in feeling their feelings.
When one neither shares nor reaches out for support, he or she can remain a lonely mystery. Life can feel lonely when one keeps everything inside. Feeling alone with life problems can be worse than the problem itself. When we let a caring person listen to our life struggle, we will no longer feel alone with our struggle. Don't be afraid to ask your loved ones to take time to hear you out .Sometimes you have to ask for it. People cannot read your mind. Confiding in others can have a positive effect on our mood.
What made the author comfortable in difficult times?
A.Persuading | B.Sharing | C.Apologizing | D.Complaining |
According to the second paragraph, we can know that .
A.the patients enjoyed listening to the author |
B.the author found empathic listening was helpless |
C.the patients didn't get on well with the author |
D.the author did a good job at a cancer clinic |
What does the underlined part“Confiding in others”in the last paragraph mean?
A.Telling others your secrets. | B.Reading others' mind. |
C.Listening to others. | D.Leaving others alone. |
What's the main idea of this passage?
A.Listening and sharing can make you happier. |
B.People know how to solve their own problems. |
C.It is wrong to give advice to solve problems. |
D.You should learn to believe in other people. |