Your Type
When a friend is sad, your instinct is to tell a joke, change the subject, or take them out to eat, trying to chase away the gloom with laughter. This enthusiasm to "rush the atmosphere toward positivity" actually masks your extreme evasion of "facing heavy sorrow and irrevocable pain"; you fear that touching those unsolvable wounds will make you break down too or leave you clueless on what to do, so you use "happy smoke bombs" to cover up the pain that needs to be faced. But some wounds must be exposed to the sun to scab over. Try putting away the jokes and crying quietly with them next time you face sorrow; when you learn to bear the weight, your companionship will reach the bottom of their heart.
💡 Did you know?
In psychology, the 'Humor Coping' mechanism states that people who use humor to distract themselves during stressful events can effectively lower cortisol secretion and protect their mental health.
PsyPals · psypals.com