People often tell me things they have never told anyone. It’s quite useful to talk to someone who won’t criticize, lecture, or panic. What people don’t realize, however, is that it can also be useful to talk to the very people who might.  

After people relay their challenges to me, I ask them whether these challenges have been shared with family members. Here are some common replies:

• I don’t want them to worry about me.
• It will only make my mother even more anxious.
• They will say, “I told you so.”
• I don’t want to burden anyone.
• They’ll try and tell me what to do.
• They won’t understand.

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