How to Help Someone Struggling with Mental Health
Caring for someone who is experiencing mental health issues can be trying. You may be worried for their safety, struggling to understand their experience, or exhausted from carrying the burden of supporting them alone. All these feelings are completely normal. In this article, we’ll discuss some ways you can help someone struggling with their mental health.
Listen without giving advice. Think about a time when you came to a friend or family member to talk about a problem you were experiencing. Did you just want someone to listen, or did you want them to tell you how they would solve the problem? People in distress usually just want to feel heard, not given advice. Try to listen without judgement and validate their feelings with words like “I understand this is really hard right now.”
Offer practical help. Oftentimes, mental health difficulties can make activities of daily living more challenging, and offering to help take some of the load can be extremely kind. Maybe the person could use help creating a weekly schedule, picking up prescriptions, or doing the grocery shopping. You can ask the person you care about how you can help their week ahead easier and offer suggestions for help that seems realistic for you to give.
Check in regularly. Knowing that someone cares enough to check in can be a light in the darkness for someone battling their mental health. Sending a call or text every now and then to ask “how are you doing today?” can go a long way to making someone feel cared for.
Encourage professional support when they are ready. Normalize reaching out for support by talking about experiences you or someone else you know has had with counseling. Remind them that it’s perfectly okay to ask for support. If they are consistently refusing to get help, however, and especially if they are solely relying on you for support, you may feel burnt out and resentful from all the stress. If this is your situation, then it’s time to set a boundary. Give the person you care about a contact list for 988 (emergency mental health services) and counselors in your area, and gently inform your person that you can no longer be their only support person. Stress that they deserve professional support and that an experienced counselor can help them in ways you can’t.
Sooner or later, someone we care about will experience a period of poor mental health. When that happens, you may feel confused, overwhelmed, sad, and worried. We hope this article helps guide you towards practical ways you can support the loved ones in your life. If your person or you yourself are ready to seek professional support, therapy is just a call away.
References
Karla (Moreno) Wolfson [@therapywithkarla]. (2024, October 8).
“It’s not always easy to know how to support a friend or loved one struggling with their mental health. Here are 5 ways to show up for them” [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/DA4MHJIvwJG/?img_index=6
