HOW TO RESPOND TO SADNESS AND PAIN

DESCRIPTION

Basic competence: Responding to the meaning conversation transactional (to get things done) and interpersonal (social) and continued (continuous) which uses a variety of spoken language accurately, fluently, and acceptable in daily life context and involves speech: showing attitudes toward something, responding to expression of sadness.

LESSON

Learning Objective: In this lesson, you will learn about how to respond to sadness and pain.

Responding to sadness

When you see people around you look so sad or crying, what will you do? Will you ask them why or just look at them?

Sadness is unpleasant or unhappy feeling about something bad which happened in the past. When people telling you about their sadness, you can respond with various ways such as giving a hug, cheer them up, asking them to go out or watch, etc. However, not all people will tell you the reason why they look so sad. When you see your friends or relatives look so sad, you can ask them by using these phrases to show your care:

§   What’s going on?

§   What can I do to help?

§   Would you like to talk about it?

§   Is there anything I can do for you?

If they are trying to tell you their problem, you may also use the following short phrases while you are listening to:

§   Oh no!

§   Oh dear.

§   What a pity!

§   Oh, poor you.

§   That's horrible.

Then, show your care by motivating or supporting them by using these phrases:

§   Cheer up!

§   Lighten up!

§   Take it easy.

§   It’ll get better soon.

Relief them by telling that you also feel what they feel to make them not feel alone in their sadness by saying the following phrases:

§   I feel you.

§   That's too bad.

§   I can't believe that.

§   I know how you feel.

§   I'm sorry to hear that.

§   I’m really sad to know it.

Responding to pain

Pain is a feeling of both physical and mental suffering caused by diseases or injury. When something or someone hurts you, you may feel so sad or upset. How do you feel if this condition happens to your friends, relatives or others? Will you feel the same? Actually, it is not about we feel the same or not. When you care of people around you, you should respond to the pain by using these phrases:

§   I'm sorry to hear that.

§   It must be really pain.

§   That’s really bad.

§   That’s terrible.

§   Oh, poor you.

You also can respond them by giving suggestion when someone feels sick or got injured. Here are phrases you can use:

§   You should see a doctor.

§   Take a medicine.

§   Take some rest.

Or ask them what they really want or need by using the following phrases:

§   Should I take you some medicine?

§   Should I call the doctor?

§   What can I do to help?

§   What’s going on?

v  In conclusion, responding sadness and pain has different ways. Sadness means feeling pain mentally such as unsatisfactory feeling towards something happened in the past, while pain is suffering from mental or physical illness.

v  To respond to sadness, you can ask about their problem or cheer people up by support them.

v  To respond to pain, you can suggest them to see a doctor or take some medicine when they got injured.

Written by Windi Asariastika