Listen Author Unknown
When I ask you to listen to me and you start giving advice, you have not done what I asked.
When I ask you to listen to me and you begin to tell me why I shouldn't feel that way, you are trampling on my feelings.
When I ask you to listen to me and you feel you have to do something to solve my problem, you have failed me, strange as that may seem.
When you do something for me that I can and need to do for myself you contribute to my fear and weakness.
But, when you accept as a single fact that I do feel what I feel, no matter how irrational, then I can stop trying to convince you and get to the business of understanding what's behind this irrational feeling.
And when that's clear, the answers are obvious and I don't need advice. Irrational feelings make sense when we understand what's behind them.
So, please listen and just hear me. And if you want to talk, wait a minute for your turn; and I'll listen to you.
If this poem resonates for you, if you need someone just to listen and give you the space to explore your own world and come to discover your own answers, counselling may be just what you need!