"You're so strong". It's a compliment that's meant to encourage and support, especially during trying times. What if we told you that telling someone they are strong may not have the positive impact you're intending, in fact, it could have just the opposite. Join us today as we discuss what this phrase really means, the impact it can have on us and what we can do differently that will actually be supportive.

In this episode we cover:

- How do we know someone is a strong person?

- What we're actually saying when we tell people they're strong

- What we can say instead

- Why we think strength is a compliment

- The power in acknowledging where someone is at

- The consent tea analogy and what consent has to do with these types of "compliments"

- Why we use strength as a compliment

- Reading the room

- How this has impacted Claire given what she's dealing with

- Different variations of strength

- Why our internal dialogs about strength can be detrimental

- The point where compliments turn into criticisms

- Avoiding the shame spiral

- How we can better support the people in our lives

Episode References:

- The episode where we talk about acknowledgment during grieving - Episode 76 - Grief Series - How to support grieving

- The episode where we talk about the emotional tunnel is Episode 32 - Why (generally speaking) there are no such thing as negative emotions

- The episode where we talk about witnessing - Episode 96 - What to do when they’re not OK Series: How to support without rescuing

- Guilt and shame series - Episode 43 - The Guilt & Shame Series: The difference between guilt and shame; Episode 44 - The Guilt & Shame Series: That's not guilt, it's shame in disguise; Episode 45 - The Guilt & Shame Series: That's not guilt, it's an attempt at manipulating your humanity

Full Show notes: https://bit.ly/WellShitEpisodeGuide