Let’s play with a couple of stereotypes. The standard female response is to let the person vent, listen with compassion, provide a crying shoulder, and say some soothing, supportive words (help the individual cope with the situation). A man’s more likely to try to push the person into action – talk about ways to leave the bad situation and move forward toward something better (help the individual change the situation).
Maybe the real answer is somewhere in-between – provide buckets of support and sympathy, but urge the person to take some real steps and make his/her life better.
Such life changes can be very difficult to undertake. When somebody’s beaten-down and depressed by circumstances, there’s a sense of drowning while unable to swim for the shore. A toxic environment can anyone feel worthless, and the idea of leaving, and starting over again elsewhere, might be overwhelming.