My friends and I have a habit of asking each other, "are you just venting, or do you want/need advice?" It's amazing how much that simple question helps. I'm getting better at outright saying "I'm just venting here, no advice needed" when I post things. The thing is, people need to RESPECT THAT.

Sure, as long as the person I'm speaking to begins each conversation by asking: "I want to use you as a human punching bag to vent at, while expressing no opinions of your own. Is that okay?"

As an Autistic person we can struggle to identify when someone is just venting. Please be explicit when you can like the post suggests.

While I do understand that a good many folks are well-meaning in their advice, a lot of times advice is NOT wanted and can actually be detrimental to someone's mental health. So practice ASKING if advice is wanted! It will make your relationships healthier.

Read a quip recently that all unsolicited advice is really criticism. It makes me stop and think about what I'm saying and doing here.