Sheryl Sandberg On The Powerful Way To Help Someone Grieving
Image by Getty
By Thea Glassman April 25, 2017
Sheryl Sandberg opened up about losing her husband, and the best ways to help those who are grieving, during an interview with Ellen DeGeneres on Monday.
The Facebook COO, whose new book “Option B” discusses coping with adversity, told the talk show host that there are right and wrong ways to speak to a person going through hardship.
“We don’t know what to say so often we don’t say anything,” Sandberg said. “And I realize, I used to do this. If someone was going through something, the first time I saw them, I would say ‘Are you ok?’ and I’d never mention it again because I thought it would remind them.”
Sandberg called this thinking “ridiculous.”
“I can’t be reminded I lost Dave,” she said. “I know I lost Dave, to this day and I always will. So by not saying anything you really destroy relationships.”
Sandberg added that, despite being well-meaning, it also isn’t helpful to ask the person what you can do for them. That just adds an extra burden, she explained.
Instead, she referenced a story she heard from a friend, who lost his child.
“One of his friends texted him and said, ‘I’m in the lobby of the hospital for a hug for the next hour, whether you come down or not,’” she said. “That is powerful.”
Watch the full interview below:
Thea Glassman is an Associate Editor at the Forward. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter at @theakglassman.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
