“Wow, that would be confusing.” “He really said that? I’d be angry too!” “Ah, that is so sad.” “I totally get why you feel that way; I’ve been in a similar situation before and it was rough.” “You have every right to be proud; that was a major accomplishment!” “I’m so happy for you! You’ve worked incredibly hard on this. It must feel amazing.” Notice again how each of these responses refers to a specific emotion and shows some justification for or acceptance of it. Including both elements of validation shows the other person that you not only hear them, you understand them.
