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How do you support your friend?
| Be a good listener. Don't make empty promises such as " I will help you with whatever difficulties you encounter". Instead try to give your friend some easy-to-do, step-by-step advices, encourage him/her to overcome their difficulties. Something like if you yourself in the situation what will you do to overcome.
| If your friend didn't want to talk about the problem, try do something like invite your friend to your house or some where else to chill, temporary distract him/her mind from the problem. After that just try causally ask them what happened. In my experience this usually works pretty good.
| don't tell them how they should feel. also, be sure you are aware of the difference between offering suggestions and dictating what they should do. but also know that sometimes they don't want to hear your suggestions, and they just want to stew, and they want others to see that they're in pain. most of us have to hide our pains from the world, so it's really comforting to be able to belt it out in front of a friend who is caring and nonjudgemental.
| Just be there. Sometimes that's all they need.
| Make sure they know they can talk to you whenever they need someone to vent to, and be attentive and offer advice when they are talking to you. Kinda like the people above said. Also, make sure that advice is just advice, and not judgemental "this is how/what you should have done/felt/said/acted". That kinda shit just makes one more sad.
| One good piece of advice i heard is to just ask whether they want advice or just to talk about it... obviously that can change in the course of a conversation but at least for idiots like me being explicit can be good.
What's most natural for me to do and to benefit from on the other side of it is physical contact, though it's of course important to know them/their mood and probably ask
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| This might not apply to everyone but, how do you help someone who is just sad? I am curious to hear if any others methods differ from mine.