When Someone Is Spiraling

What Helps vs. What Harms

There is a specific kind of helplessness that happens when someone you care about is spiraling.

You can see it. You can feel it. You want to fix it. And most of us were never taught what actually helps in that moment.

We default to urgency. Or logic. Or reassurance. Or control.

Sometimes we over-function. Sometimes we shut down. And often, without meaning to, we escalate the very thing we are trying to soothe.

This post is about the difference between regulation-supporting responses and spiral-amplifying responses, and how to tell which one you are doing.