We talk often about how to support someone who is struggling, and in those conversations, we talk about spending less time worrying about what to say, and more time just being present. On the other hand, there are absolutely things you should not say, and if you find yourself starting sentences with “At least”, I want you to reconsider.
This hit home pretty hard. Your relationship with yourself — how you speak to yourself, how you listen to your emotions and how you respond to your needs — is the base that any other relationship you have builds upon, Patel explained. “If you’re not responding to your needs, it will also impact your health…
There is a whole world of people who aren’t looking at blogs like this one, or trying to talk about mental health on social media. Sure, there’s a lot of us who are, and I love supporting those folks by trying to share information, or just check in. But, that’s not going to change the stigma that exists in society until all of those other folks, actually come in contact with mental health struggles in real life. As long as that’s not happening, it’ll remain stigmatized, and “something that happens to other people”.
I agree with Rachel on this, offering positive platitudes is often easier than allowing ourselves to feel anything, so it’s what we offer people who are feeling so much more than that. “I truly believe that ultimately, we all want to be listened to and supported. We don’t want to be told why our feelings…
I was so glad to see that Nicole is seeing her own therapist and developing her own support, and that the article refers to her own trauma. It is trauma to deal with the possibility that your loved one will not be here anymore because of what their own depression is doing to them. We should take that very seriously, and act accordingly.
Mary Tatum, MS, LMHC offers this list of books on depression, which right now, many of us are dealing with.
Have you read any of the ones on her list? Any that you would add to it?
