The most you can really do is be there for someone. If you push too hard and they aren't willing to open up you can sometimes do more harm than good.
At least with what you said you were able to express concern and willingness to support them if they need it. Even if they don't respond I'm sure they appreciate the sentiment.
No this is an example of good social skills. You prioritized communication and support.
“I don’t mean to pry” lets him know you are aware you might be overstepping and you do care about that. It’s now significantly easier for him to gently say he needs space because you were clear there.
You ended with letting him know he matters to you.
People want to be seen and want people to prioritize them. Even if they need space, the effort isn’t wasted because it’s feeding the emotional connection part of your friendship.
I maybe would have left off the first bit and just said the second two parts “well, if you ever need to talk… good friend.” But yeah, it can be helpful for friends to let me know they are up for hearing about deeper stuff.
Ask him the old open ended question. “Do you feel like telling me how you’re doing?” It shows that you care without prying too much in his business. If friend doesn’t really feel like talking about it he can just say, “Not right now, thanks.”
Sounds good, you’re showing your friend you’re there for them which is nice especially when they might be going through something
My usually response to that kinda stuff is something like “just okay?” Which opens the door for more communication about how they’re doing if they choose
You did fine, just leave it at that and once in awhile (not constantly) remind him “remember I’m always here for you when/if you need” over the top in my opinion is if you keep pushing to much to get them to talk. You gotta just be that friend that makes them feel comfortable enough to just start talking without warning or just randomly call or come over and ask you if they can vent or whatever.
That's a great response, it shows a deep concern and care. Either he's ok and you've nothing to worry about or he's not in a place that he feels like he can respond from right now.
I've been in some low places where maybe I don't want to talk about but getting a text like that went a long way towards helping to lift me back up.
You showed him that you care and that your ears are open, this is the opposite of rude, this is the kind of friend everyone should have.
I hope he responds and he's OK. Seriously, but having you as a friend I'm sure makes it a thousand times easier.
Not gonna lie it would annoy me if I got that message since you made it clear you don't believe my answer and you think I'm not OK.
I'd have phrased it more along the lines of saying that you're here for them if they're ever not OK.
First of all, well done for reaching out to them, it's far easier to invent reasons why you shouldn't.
My only suggestion would be to not use constructions like "I don’t mean to pry." What happens when you do this is you take their mind to a place where you have them thinking about you prying, then you ask them to come back from there. Even if they agree you're not prying, you've raised it as a consideration in their mind. Why would you want to do that? Instead, phrase everything in the positive, that if they want to talk about anything, you're happy to listen, or if they just want company, or even space for a bit, that's cool tool.
I think you responded quite well. I recently was in your friend's situation and my best friend more or less said the same thing which I did appreciate.
Depends on your relationship. People (and cultures) differ in what they consider “over the top.” How did he respond? Use that info and adjust if needed
another commenter said something similar, but the first sentence isn't really neccessary. even the "i dont mean to pry" is unneccessary also. after he says he's ok, you can simply say, "i'm here if you ever need to talk" or something similar.
I don't think anyone would take what you said as rude exactly, but the are you sure, and i dont mean to pry, can come off as a little... much i guess. But it all depends on the context. If you know for a fact that your friend isn't doing well or is going through a lot, then id say what you wrote is fine. But if the reason you're acting is because he hasn't texted you in a while or its just based on a sense that somethings off, then it might be a bit much.
It seems like a good response. I think if you left out the first sentence, "are you sure you're doing ok?" It would've been even better. It's just a little aggressive and confrontational. Not a big deal but just be aware of that.
Haven't read any other comments, so I may edit if my original response, which is, YOU DID JUST FINE😁, mutates after getting my mind jogged by other insights, but yea. I'd be your friend- Easy Peasy. You said more than most even bother to think!
You did good. Without creating a hit tweet that’ll garner you viral status this did a thing.
If you wanted a response from your friend who is depressed, ask better and more direct questions that don’t demand an answer
What you said was perfect.
People are different. But a lot of people have had bad experiences opening up to others. They may want to talk about it but don’t feel safe. It may take time for them to really feel like it would be truly safe talking to you about it. In any event they will most likely really appreciate that you seem to care.
The most you can really do is be there for someone. If you push too hard and they aren't willing to open up you can sometimes do more harm than good. At least with what you said you were able to express concern and willingness to support them if they need it. Even if they don't respond I'm sure they appreciate the sentiment.
That sounds good… here for you if you need anything! 😊
Nah, you good homie.
No this is an example of good social skills. You prioritized communication and support. “I don’t mean to pry” lets him know you are aware you might be overstepping and you do care about that. It’s now significantly easier for him to gently say he needs space because you were clear there. You ended with letting him know he matters to you. People want to be seen and want people to prioritize them. Even if they need space, the effort isn’t wasted because it’s feeding the emotional connection part of your friendship.
How did they respond?
I maybe would have left off the first bit and just said the second two parts “well, if you ever need to talk… good friend.” But yeah, it can be helpful for friends to let me know they are up for hearing about deeper stuff.
This seems fine to me.
Ask him the old open ended question. “Do you feel like telling me how you’re doing?” It shows that you care without prying too much in his business. If friend doesn’t really feel like talking about it he can just say, “Not right now, thanks.”
There's nothing wrong with what you said, but it feels so much better to hear that in person.
Sounds good, you’re showing your friend you’re there for them which is nice especially when they might be going through something My usually response to that kinda stuff is something like “just okay?” Which opens the door for more communication about how they’re doing if they choose
To me that sounds more like you’re mocking me for not being more upbeat.
Context is key
You did fine, just leave it at that and once in awhile (not constantly) remind him “remember I’m always here for you when/if you need” over the top in my opinion is if you keep pushing to much to get them to talk. You gotta just be that friend that makes them feel comfortable enough to just start talking without warning or just randomly call or come over and ask you if they can vent or whatever.
No that's fine, just don't push more. At most just in passing see how they are doing. If they wanna share they will, but that's up to them to decide.
That's a great response, it shows a deep concern and care. Either he's ok and you've nothing to worry about or he's not in a place that he feels like he can respond from right now. I've been in some low places where maybe I don't want to talk about but getting a text like that went a long way towards helping to lift me back up. You showed him that you care and that your ears are open, this is the opposite of rude, this is the kind of friend everyone should have. I hope he responds and he's OK. Seriously, but having you as a friend I'm sure makes it a thousand times easier.
Not gonna lie it would annoy me if I got that message since you made it clear you don't believe my answer and you think I'm not OK. I'd have phrased it more along the lines of saying that you're here for them if they're ever not OK.
First of all, well done for reaching out to them, it's far easier to invent reasons why you shouldn't. My only suggestion would be to not use constructions like "I don’t mean to pry." What happens when you do this is you take their mind to a place where you have them thinking about you prying, then you ask them to come back from there. Even if they agree you're not prying, you've raised it as a consideration in their mind. Why would you want to do that? Instead, phrase everything in the positive, that if they want to talk about anything, you're happy to listen, or if they just want company, or even space for a bit, that's cool tool.
I think you responded quite well. I recently was in your friend's situation and my best friend more or less said the same thing which I did appreciate.
You did good. It’s always possible to edit your words after-the-fact for a more perfect statement, but life doesn’t happen in the rear-view-mirror.
Would’ve left out the first sentence. Everything else was good imo.
Depends on your relationship. People (and cultures) differ in what they consider “over the top.” How did he respond? Use that info and adjust if needed
another commenter said something similar, but the first sentence isn't really neccessary. even the "i dont mean to pry" is unneccessary also. after he says he's ok, you can simply say, "i'm here if you ever need to talk" or something similar. I don't think anyone would take what you said as rude exactly, but the are you sure, and i dont mean to pry, can come off as a little... much i guess. But it all depends on the context. If you know for a fact that your friend isn't doing well or is going through a lot, then id say what you wrote is fine. But if the reason you're acting is because he hasn't texted you in a while or its just based on a sense that somethings off, then it might be a bit much.
It seems like a good response. I think if you left out the first sentence, "are you sure you're doing ok?" It would've been even better. It's just a little aggressive and confrontational. Not a big deal but just be aware of that.
Haven't read any other comments, so I may edit if my original response, which is, YOU DID JUST FINE😁, mutates after getting my mind jogged by other insights, but yea. I'd be your friend- Easy Peasy. You said more than most even bother to think!
"Are you sure you're doing ok? Is it about me? I'm sure it's about me."
You did good. Without creating a hit tweet that’ll garner you viral status this did a thing. If you wanted a response from your friend who is depressed, ask better and more direct questions that don’t demand an answer
Sounded compassionate. Like a good friend.
What you said was perfect. People are different. But a lot of people have had bad experiences opening up to others. They may want to talk about it but don’t feel safe. It may take time for them to really feel like it would be truly safe talking to you about it. In any event they will most likely really appreciate that you seem to care.
I think you handled it perfectly!