A practical kindness can give someone enough room to decide what they feel afterward.

In a hard week the most useful help is often the least emotional. A meal left at the door, a form completed, the dog walked at six. Those clear away the small demands that would otherwise crowd out any chance of thinking, and they ask nothing back from someone who has nothing to give.

If a person you know is in the middle of something, pick one concrete task and do it rather than asking what they need. Say what you have done, and leave without requiring a response.