This is a great article aimed at military families, but I think we could all use a quick lesson on the “ACE” methodology.
Ask – Care – Escort.
So many of us are afraid to ask, because we don’t know what to do next. The most important thing you can do is care, and then “escort”, help get that loved one to the help they need.
No one expects you to fix everything, but you can care. Read the rest to find out what else you can do.
They can’t go down to the local community college and sign up for a class where they can practice explaining all of the complexities of their mental health in simple terms. They’re experimenting with what works, what is comfortable, what is confusing, etc. Give them some space to do that and know that when they are still at this uncomfortable level they trust you to be someone they want to talk to.
Don’t ruin it for them by being dismissive or not listening. They need you to listen and they need practice in telling their stories. Be the same place for that.
None of the songs on the list were ones I listened to when I needed some motivation, but were they yours? For me, being kind of a punk/alternative fan, it was much more about songs like Sometimes by Midnight Oil, or The Clash’s I’m Not Down. What would you add? http://themighty.com/2015/10/depression-songs-to-cheer-you-up-on-hard-days/
So yes: those of us that are hurting want you to pray for us. Pray for your family member who’s depressed. Pray for your fellow church member whose anxiety has kept then from attending in weeks. Pray for the person who you’ve heard is battling an addiction or a manic episode or any other thing. And…
It’s difficult to get anyone to talk about being sexually abused, and we also know that for male victims they also get the additional stigma attached to not being “man enough”. But then there’s this: The study, which examined child rape laws in 40 countries, found that just under half of jurisdictions lacked legal protections…
“When researchers asked what did provide comfort to someone who was estranged from a close family member, people said “having someone listen” to them, “being seen as normal,” having someone telling them that they were “an okay person,” and hearing that others had similar experiences all eased the pains. But the strong underlying message is that the complexity of parents and…
“Histories of child abuse are common among military members and may be important to consider when treating their mental health needs, according to a report from Canada. People who join the military are more likely to report being abused as children, and that trauma may be more closely linked to suicide risk than trauma experienced…
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