Seems like a good time to share this:
Good morning! Now and then I offer words of encouragement to people who fight depression and anxiety. Today I want to offer words of encouragement to their friends and loved ones who want to help them.
I want to reassure you that you can make a difference.
/1
— NotJFKJrHat (@Popehat) October 28, 2021
/2 Depression and anxiety are often cyclical; there are good times and bad times. It’s tough to know that someone you care about is having a bad time; it’s tough to know how you can help. Sometimes you feel helpless to do anything.
You’re not helpless.
/3 Recently three people in my life –family and friends — saw potentially stressful things going on (from Facebook or elsewhere) and just . . . checked in. Asked how I was. How I was dealing with it. If I needed anything. How I was handling it.
It made a difference.
/4 One very difficult element of serious anxiety and depression is a feeling of isolation and loneliness — that nobody else gets how you feel, that you’re utterly alone in misery. You’re not, of course, but depression lies.
Checking in helps with that.
/5 The simple act of checking in, with a light touch, helps pierce that feeling of isolation. It’s saying “I saw you were dealing with this, and I thought of you, and wondered how you were handling it. I remember you. I know what you’re fighting and I’m with you.”
/6 Use a light touch though. Not constantly. pic.twitter.com/77SUiLN3v3
— NotJFKJrHat (@Popehat) October 28, 2021
/7 This small thing can make a difference in the lives of people you care about, and support them in fighting depression and anxiety. I’m grateful for friends and family like that. You can be one.
/end
/8 /Addendum Sorry, that wasn’t the end after all. Some people have asked “how can I check in with a loved one without being overbearing and causing more stress?” It’s a fair question. Talking about how you feel can be painful during depression and anxiety….
/9 Here’s what works for me. I have a deal with loved ones: they can ask me, any time, how I am, 1 to 10, 10 being extreme crisis. And, even if I don’t want to talk, I give a number. Even checking in like that helps me, and it helps them by reassuring them about how I am.
/10 It’s helpful in that it encourages reflection and self-awareness without being overwhelming or a further stressor. Your mileage may vary.
Wednesday Evening Open Thread: On Living With Depression / AnxietyPost + Comments (91)