Do you find it hard to respond when a friend shares feelings

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It's always safe to say, "That sounds ______" where the blank can be filled by any adjective: awful, fantastic, exciting, confusing, exhausting, really hard, etc.

But really, I have had occasion to tell a friend they can no longer confide in me about certain things. I had a friend in grad school who was bipolar. She needed to tell me she had been hospitalized after a suicide attempt. This happened several times. I had to tell her I couldn't keep that a secret any longer so if she didn't want me to tell professors in our program, she better not tell me about it. (It was really messing with my head.) Eventually she did succeed in killing herself. I felt a little guilty but I also knew that my boundary had been a reasonable one.

Very sad . Very unfortunate.

I tried to coach my daughter, who has a long-term relationship (but can't afford to marry or she would lose her benefits) that to most people, "You can't tell anyone" is not to be taken literally; it usually means you can tell your spouse, if they are safe to confide in. (Not blabbermouths, in other words.)

Certain careers include a duty to maintain confidentiality. These include espionage, mental health therapists, doctors, lawyers, accountants. It might not seem like it, but keeping secrets of this sort carries a burden for the listener. You must maintain vigilance in talking about what's going on in your life. If you are disturbed by, or even inspired by, some of the things you hear, you can't share that with anyone. This burden of self-restraint about sharing may be difficult for people who have a hard time allotting attention, such as ADHD, or balancing complex ideas which I think is hard for many folks with autism.

I don't have that challenge because no precious lil "friends"

There is no "correct response".

No matter what you answer, someone could always misinterpret it

"Actions speak louder than words"

"Loose lips sink ships"

Sorry for differences in interpretations. Just not fond of the ideas of people doing pranks . Or generally malicious women .

I am quite good at keeping secrets - although it sure does feel odd when you're aware that you're one of the only ones in the room who knows the full extent of a situation and the topic comes up. Especially if the person who told you this secret is lying or deflecting questions about it and you secretly wonder just how many people are in the know.

Sometimes keeping a secret is important, such as if it ensures the safety of a person or the person simply does not feel comfortable disclosing certain information to others just yet. I can understand that and feel honoured when someone feels comfortable enough to inform me. Yet I probably wouldn't hold it against them if they didn't tell me either, depending on what it was. I understand it can be difficult to trust others and know who is safe to trust and who isn't.

However, there are circumstances where I will break my silence if it is actively harming someone else in the situation or generally doing more harm than good. Usually though I will respect a person's wishes and I have gotten quite good at acting detached when the topic in question comes up.

People often confide in me. It can be difficult when people tell me particularly distressing things and I have learnt not to immediately go into trying to fix the situation. Now I am more aware that sometimes people just wish for comfort.

I'm not typically a particularly physical person, I only feel comfortable being touchy with certain people (such as hugs or shoulder touches) yet weirdly I tend to get crushes on people who are and often in part because they are, but uh, we'll unpack that another time. I usually just sit near a person and let them vent. If it's too much, then I may crack a few jokes or offer them tea or a biscuit and maybe a chair. Often I find that suggesting a change of scenery or activity can help, such as walking around the block and allowing them to collect their thoughts. I usually find that it's easier to talk to them once they've relaxed a little.

Found many times that if am asked to keep a secret . And it is not going to be a safety issue , will often let it roll off of me . So I don’t have to commit it to conscious recollection . That , I do not accidentally reveal it.
Unless that same person triggers that memory with me in private. Have used up full capacity of memory banks .
Multiple traumas can have a way of doing that , I think .

"The three main channels for spreading information are telegraph, telephone, and tell a woman."

Hurumpf

On occasion .....