I recently posted about my Self-care tips for when you’re depressed and whilst writing it I realised that it’s always with the help of my other half that I feel better. I’m not saying that you need a partner to feel good – not at all – but over the years he has managed to figure out through trial and error how to handle me when I’m at my lowest.
There are no magic words that will make someone feel better when they are depressed, but it can be terrifying and somewhat lonely for friends and families to talk to people suffering – so much so that they might avoid talking to them altogether. Avoiding the subject is the worst tactic in my opinion. It breeds guilt within the sufferer and makes them feel like an outsider, like they are making things difficult and can end up pushing them further away.
This is by no means a completed list of what to say – it’s just a few things that have worked for me. When I feel helpless and upset for no reason it’s important that I feel comforted, even when I can’t explain what exactly the problem is. I hope that if you know someone who deals with depression that you take the time to ask them if they are OK, and tell them that you’re there for them. Even these few simple words can make them feel less alone.
Have you comforted someone with depression? I’d love to read your comments below.
That was a really great list. I think that when people so obviously give the impression that they don’t understand how you’re feeling, it just makes you feel even more helpless and down. A simple ‘It’s not your fault’ offers understanding and really can do the world of good. I’ll share this list! X
Feel free to share! I don’t think there’s enough support out there for people who have to help people with depression, it can be so hard so any help is good I think!
Thank you for posting this – I can fully appreciate how avoiding conversation about mental health can be so damaging to relationships, but haven’t seen it spoken about before. I’ve been figuring out what helps me over the last few months, and have found that pure honesty is what gets me through. Even though I may struggle to complete daily tasks or feel overly anxious, friends telling me how it is yet sticking by me has made me see how much they care about what is best for me. ‘You are not your mental illness’ and ‘Your mental illness does not define you’ have been powerful sentiments for me 🙂
I’m glad you’re getting the support you need. There are some people I know who just avoid talking about it altogether because they just don’t know what to say, I imagine they are just scared of saying the wrong thing which is totally understandable. It’s really difficult for everyone involved ?
So many people are depressed. The greatest thing you can do is let people know they are loved!