Off My Chest
RULES:
I am looking for mods!
1. The "good" part of our community means we are pro-empathy and anti-harassment. However, we don't intend to make this a "safe space" where everyone has to be a saint. Sh*t happens, and life is messy. That's why we get things off our chests.
2. Bigotry is not allowed. That includes racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and religiophobia. (If you want to vent about religion, that's fine; but religion is not inherently evil.)
3. Frustrated, venting, or angry posts are still welcome.
4. Posts and comments that bait, threaten, or incite harassment are not allowed.
5. If anyone offers mental, medical, or professional advice here, please remember to take it with a grain of salt. Seek out real professionals if needed.
6. Please put NSFW behind NSFW tags.
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In places and with people you are familiar, you shouldn't change what you're doing because they like you for who you are.
In other conversational situations where you're not familiar and you don't know how to engage without being thought selfish or something like that, try the L.E.A.P. method. I find it especially useful for political arguments.
Listen. Empathize. Agree. Partner.
https://spotlightonmentalhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/The-LEAP-overview.pdf
Even if you have your own idea in your head you want to say out loud, first listen to the other person, and empathize with their feelings. I know it's difficult with your auditory processing challenges you have, but you can practice by taking a response a little slower and with a little more time. When people feel they are heard, they are more willing to listen to your feelings. Then Agree is for controversial topics or disagreements you have. It means to find the part where your thought or opinion aligns with theirs, no matter how small. Then Partner is either how you set a workable position between you and the other person, or this is where you can talk about your thought or opinion and how it relates to the main conversation topic.
For Example, Someone says: "My brother got bitten by a dog the other day."
You are thinking: "I was chased by a dog when I was little, that was scary." But before you go directly to saying that, preface it with...
Listen & Empathize: "I'm sorry to hear that, I hope he is doing okay." After that you can talk about your relevant experience.