Perspective isn’t telling someone their problem is small. It’s helping them carry it until it fits.

Perspective gets misused as a way to shut people up. Telling somebody that others have it worse does not shrink their problem, it stacks guilt on top of it and teaches them to stop mentioning things. The real version works the other way around, standing next to the person while they hold the weight until it is no longer the only thing they can see.

When a friend brings you something heavy, resist ranking it. Ask what the worst part is, and stay in the conversation past the point where your advice runs out.