“You don’t have to be perfect — just be present.”

Will Varner / BuzzFeed

I'm all for being hopeful and reassuring, but I also think it's really important to only promise things you're sure can come true. Everyone says "You'll get through this" or "It's just a bump in the road," but the truth is, a lot of times we don't know that.

Submitted by Megan Altschuler (Facebook)

When someone is scared, allow them to be scared. In the days leading up to my tests, everyone kept telling me to not worry: "I'm sure everything will be fine." It made me so mad. I was absolutely terrified, and everyone telling me not to worry completely made light of the fact that I could be looking at cancer.

Then after two sleepless nights, I talked to my best friend, and he started crying. He was scared, just as scared as I was, asking me a hundred questions, and it actually made me feel better. Because I knew I wasn't alone in being scared, and that being scared wasn't silly or irrational.

Submitted by susanrebeccah

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