H is in a funk b/c of his work, and instead of yelling, "Well then, DO something about it!" I'm just validating and staying out of it. It's not my job to fix his life.
This is exactly the right attitude. One thing that is hard for Ws is to step back and NOT fix things. Validating and letting H be a man and handle his issues is the perfect reaction!
Sorry I am not completely caught up on your sitch so I can't comment further. As I was snooping this comment really hit me because since I have used the same approach, things have gone much more smoothly and H talks to me more.
