October 22, 2025

181. How to Be There for our Loved Ones During Difficult Times

18 minutes

When someone we care about feels overwhelmed or emotionally stretched thin, their communication may shift — not because they intend harm, but because their inner resources are running low.

In this episode, Alejandra Siroka offers a new way to interpret those moments. Instead of taking sharp replies, distance, or inconsistency personally, try to notice them as signs of depletion rather than rejection. She introduces a powerful comparison: the care we naturally extend to a sprained ankle — patience, gentleness, slower pacing — is the same kind of awareness that can be brought to the emotional healing of others. Rather than labeling someone as too sensitive or difficult, consider what changes when you treat their tenderness as a temporary injury rather than a flaw.

Alejandra explores eight practices that may help you relate more intentionally when someone you love is struggling. These include offering acknowledgment without fixing, speaking in softer tones when possible, waiting for settled energy before approaching complex topics, and choosing language that frames others with dignity even when their actions feel challenging.

The invitation isn’t to overextend or absorb what isn’t yours, it’s to stay rooted in compassion while still honoring your own clarity. This approach may reveal that support doesn’t always come through solutions. Sometimes it’s simply presence, patience, and a willingness to see beyond the moment.

Quotes

"The same tender awareness we give to a sprained ankle is exactly what the people in our lives need when they are going through challenges or feeling heartbroken by what's happening in the world." (03:38 | Alejandra Siroka)

"When someone is under-resourced, their communication is going to be more habitual and less authentic. It's going to be less conscious and less mindful of their own impact on others." (06:12 | Alejandra Siroka)

“If you can remember that they are under-resourced, that they are operating from a place of depletion rather than fullness, you can create space for their struggle without making it about you.” (07:26 | Alejandra Siroka)

"When you don't take it personally, you free yourself to respond with compassion instead of defensiveness. You can see their habitual communication patterns for what they are, survival mechanisms, rather than attacks on you." (08:02 | Alejandra Siroka)

"We need to be each other's keepers. What does that mean? It means showing up with tenderness when someone is hurting. It means choosing compassion over impatience." (14:29 | Alejandra Siroka)

Links

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To work with Alejandra, visit: www.languagealchemy.com/workwithme

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To find out about 1:1 transformative communication coaching with Alejandra, visit: https://www.languagealchemy.com/oneonone

To find out about couple transformative communication coaching with Alejandra, visit: https://www.languagealchemy.com/couples

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To follow Alejandra on instagram follow @languagealchemy

Podcast Music composed by Gary Lapow: open.spotify.com/artist/1HlMhcNfKIELxYil5mVqD

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

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By Alejandra Siroka

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