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I'm a big word person. Words of affirmation are definitely a love language for me. I like to talk through what I'm feeling or what is bothering me, stressing me out, etc. I also like to talk about what I'm excited about, what I'm happy about, etc. I like to talk. 

Someone that I can always count on to listen to my life rants is my mama. She always has both ears open to me and she has a big heart. When I don't have the right perspective about something, she helps me look at it a different way. 

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I think that empathy is really important in any relationship. If you can take a few minutes to really feel and absorb what the other person needs, you are much more capable of responding in a loving way that lets them know you understand, rather than responding with a robotic, "I'm sorry" that you could literally say to anyone. If you listen to your loved ones and actually formulate a response that lets them know that you heard them, that you get it, that you may not feel the same or necessarily agree with all of it, but you understand and are there for them. You can tell them that it sucks!

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When I was a teenager (gotta admit I still think of myself as a teenager most of the time; being an adult is overrated), I used to get frustrated when I would talk to my mom and she would say things like, "it's going to be okay," or "you're going to get through this," because I didn't want to hear that. I wanted to hear, "you know what? That sucks." It was so funny because once she realized that, she said it to me and meant it. Since then, every time I want to vent something to her, she makes sure to let me know that she thinks it sucks and we have a good laugh, because laughing at a situation means you can survive it. Just like my motto: if you can laugh at it, you can live through it!

If you're going through something tough today, that sucks!