chilling, demoralizing, discouraging, disheartening, dismaying, dispiriting, frustrating, unmanning, unnerving

browbeating, bullying, cowing, intimidatingdepressing, saddening, weighingafflicting, tryingdampening, damping, deadeningdistressing, troublingbothering, irking, vexing, worryingdebilitating, enfeebling, undermining, weakeningfrightening, horrifying, scaring

throwing cold water on

emboldening, encouraging, heartening, nerving, steeling

buoying (up), cheering, gladdeninganimating, enlivening, invigoratingenforcing, fortifying, reinforcing(also reenforcing), strengtheningassuring, reassuringboosting, energizing, exciting, galvanizing, inspiring, lifting, provoking, quickening, rallying, stimulating, stirring