Don't we all need a friend at some point in our lives? If you're looking for someone like that, you might have found that finding someone to confide in isn't easy as it's tough to find the right person. However, there's always someone willing to listen, give advice, and just be there for you.
Here are 10 qualities to look for in a caring confidant:
1. Active Listener
A good confidant is someone who not only listens but who makes you feel heard. They pay full attention when you are sharing your feelings and show that they are listening with eye contact, nodding, affirmative words, and affection. An active listener doesn’t need to offer advice (unless it’s ask for) or deflect the conversation to their own problems. They are fully present for you and willing to validate the pain or discomfort you are feeling.
2. Empathetic
The best kind of support person not only sympathizes with what you’re going through but also feels what you are feeling. They empathize with your confusion, pain, or self-doubt, and they want you to know how much they understand you. They have walked the walk and can share some of the burden of your feelings because they have experienced something similar themselves. An empathetic listener allows you to feel less alone with your challenge and helps you realize that you will survive this challenge and move past it.
3. Trustworthy
The last thing you need when you’re going through a challenge is someone who gossips about you or betrays your confidence. You want a support person who treats your pain or difficulty with dignity and respect. They are capable of keeping their mouths shut, even when it’s tempting to share a juicy piece of information or unburden themselves of your problem. They have the integrity to honor your personal information by keeping it to themselves, even when you haven’t specifically asked them too.
4. Nonjudgmental
It’s difficult to share something deeply personal, perhaps something that causes you guilt, shame, or regret, if you fear the listener will judge you harshly. You need a support person who can listen and show empathy without casting blame, acting superior, or passively making you feel bad about yourself or the situation. The best confidant is someone who recognizes the “humanness” in all of us — who has made mistakes themselves and understands the deep need to be loved and accepted in spite of our flaws.
5. Authentic
A caring support person is someone who is true to themselves, who doesn’t put on an act or try to play a role that feels false. They can be vulnerable and open about their own challenges, emotions, and fears, making you feel more connected to them. Authenticity is hard to quantify, but you know it when you see it. The person is open, straightforward, and without guise or pretense.
6. Self-Aware
A big part of authenticity is self-awareness. Self-awareness is the ability to have introspection and to examine your own motives, desires, flaws, and responses. A self-aware person has a better capacity to understand and empathize with others because they have plunged the depths of their own inner world. They have a more intricate and complex perspective of the human condition and can therefore understand and relate to ambiguities, complicated emotions, and difficult decisions.
7. Calm
When you are going through a difficult time, you don’t need someone who will fall apart, get hysterical, or behave dramatically. You’re already feeling highly emotional or even ready to fall apart yourself. You need a steady hand and a calm disposition to keep you grounded and rational so you can think about solutions to your situation. The best support person is the one who can remain unperturbed and focused in order to help you take the best actions.
8. Perceptive
Sometimes it is difficult to see the forest for the trees when you’re in the midst of a challenge. Your emotions might cloud your judgment, or they might make it difficult for you to take action at all. A good support person can look at the situation objectively, see what you aren’t able to see, and kindly point out alternative points of view or a better course of action. They can see through the fog of fear and confusion you’re feeling to get to the meat of the situation and help you clarify it.
9. Patient
Most life challenges take some time to sort through. When you have strong emotions, it can take hours or days just to settle your feelings in order to really address the problem. You need a confidant who is patient with you, even if you get stuck or angry. Sometimes you just need them to sit with you and listen as you vent the depths of your despair or frustration. It’s not always easy for a support person to patiently listen without offering solutions or telling you to “just get over it.” But this patience pays off because it gives you the space you need to process your feelings and figure out your next steps at a pace that is right for you.
10. Optimistic
When we’re going through a challenge, we all want to feel hope. We want to believe that things will work out for the best and that something positive will emerge from the difficulty we’re experiencing. Having someone in your corner who sees the glass half full and who has the clarity to recognize that “this too shall pass” will give you the strength and courage to keep going. A happy, positive person (who isn’t offering false cheerfulness or unrealistic outcomes) will buoy you as you work toward solutions and heal from your pain.
If you are going through a life challenge and need someone to talk to, don’t go it alone. Look around at your family and friends. Which of them have most of the qualities listed above?
Reach out to this person and ask if they are willing to provide a listening ear to help you cope with your challenge. If they are emphatic
and caring, they will likely be flattered that you reached out to them.
If you can’t find someone in your circle you can to talk to, consider finding a licensed counselor who has these qualities. They are legally bound by confidentiality, and a good therapist has been trained to develop these interpersonal skills.
Here are 10 qualities to look for in a caring confidant:
1. Active Listener
A good confidant is someone who not only listens but who makes you feel heard. They pay full attention when you are sharing your feelings and show that they are listening with eye contact, nodding, affirmative words, and affection. An active listener doesn’t need to offer advice (unless it’s ask for) or deflect the conversation to their own problems. They are fully present for you and willing to validate the pain or discomfort you are feeling.
2. Empathetic
The best kind of support person not only sympathizes with what you’re going through but also feels what you are feeling. They empathize with your confusion, pain, or self-doubt, and they want you to know how much they understand you. They have walked the walk and can share some of the burden of your feelings because they have experienced something similar themselves. An empathetic listener allows you to feel less alone with your challenge and helps you realize that you will survive this challenge and move past it.
3. Trustworthy
The last thing you need when you’re going through a challenge is someone who gossips about you or betrays your confidence. You want a support person who treats your pain or difficulty with dignity and respect. They are capable of keeping their mouths shut, even when it’s tempting to share a juicy piece of information or unburden themselves of your problem. They have the integrity to honor your personal information by keeping it to themselves, even when you haven’t specifically asked them too.
4. Nonjudgmental
It’s difficult to share something deeply personal, perhaps something that causes you guilt, shame, or regret, if you fear the listener will judge you harshly. You need a support person who can listen and show empathy without casting blame, acting superior, or passively making you feel bad about yourself or the situation. The best confidant is someone who recognizes the “humanness” in all of us — who has made mistakes themselves and understands the deep need to be loved and accepted in spite of our flaws.
5. Authentic
A caring support person is someone who is true to themselves, who doesn’t put on an act or try to play a role that feels false. They can be vulnerable and open about their own challenges, emotions, and fears, making you feel more connected to them. Authenticity is hard to quantify, but you know it when you see it. The person is open, straightforward, and without guise or pretense.
6. Self-Aware
A big part of authenticity is self-awareness. Self-awareness is the ability to have introspection and to examine your own motives, desires, flaws, and responses. A self-aware person has a better capacity to understand and empathize with others because they have plunged the depths of their own inner world. They have a more intricate and complex perspective of the human condition and can therefore understand and relate to ambiguities, complicated emotions, and difficult decisions.
7. Calm
When you are going through a difficult time, you don’t need someone who will fall apart, get hysterical, or behave dramatically. You’re already feeling highly emotional or even ready to fall apart yourself. You need a steady hand and a calm disposition to keep you grounded and rational so you can think about solutions to your situation. The best support person is the one who can remain unperturbed and focused in order to help you take the best actions.
8. Perceptive
Sometimes it is difficult to see the forest for the trees when you’re in the midst of a challenge. Your emotions might cloud your judgment, or they might make it difficult for you to take action at all. A good support person can look at the situation objectively, see what you aren’t able to see, and kindly point out alternative points of view or a better course of action. They can see through the fog of fear and confusion you’re feeling to get to the meat of the situation and help you clarify it.
9. Patient
10. Optimistic
When we’re going through a challenge, we all want to feel hope. We want to believe that things will work out for the best and that something positive will emerge from the difficulty we’re experiencing. Having someone in your corner who sees the glass half full and who has the clarity to recognize that “this too shall pass” will give you the strength and courage to keep going. A happy, positive person (who isn’t offering false cheerfulness or unrealistic outcomes) will buoy you as you work toward solutions and heal from your pain.
If you are going through a life challenge and need someone to talk to, don’t go it alone. Look around at your family and friends. Which of them have most of the qualities listed above?
Reach out to this person and ask if they are willing to provide a listening ear to help you cope with your challenge. If they are emphatic
and caring, they will likely be flattered that you reached out to them.
If you can’t find someone in your circle you can to talk to, consider finding a licensed counselor who has these qualities. They are legally bound by confidentiality, and a good therapist has been trained to develop these interpersonal skills.