Ways to Be an Effective Ally to Someone Suffering Mentally

By Vanika

Ways to Be an Effective Ally to Someone Suffering Mentally

              

Being a supporting ally to someone who is struggling mentally is not only a nice deed in a world where mental health difficulties affect millions of people; it is also crucial to creating a society that is more compassionate and understanding.

Your support, whether it comes from a friend, relative, or work associate, can have a great impact on someone's life. 

Let’s look at some ways in which you can support folks who are dealing with mental health issues around you.

Educate yourself. 

You should make a special effort to learn more for yourself and other people as a mental health advocate.

As someone who is trying to make a conscious effort to improve mental health advocacy around them, it’s important to keep in mind that not every mental health problem is the same. Conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression are all extremely diverse and can range in severity from moderate to severe. 

Before acting as a peer supporter for someone, you need to understand the range, complexity, and intensity of their health before trying to comfort them. 

Keep checking up on your close ones.

Sometimes a simple, “How are you doing?”, can make someone open up about their thoughts and feelings. Sometimes people tend to keep their thoughts to themselves and fail to share them with anyone even in times of need. That’s why checking up on your loved one is important. 

Remember to not push them into opening up to you. Give them space and time, it’s not always easy for people to express their thoughts and feelings due to the fear of judgment, embarrassment, or lack of words to express themselves. 

Don’t solve the problems for them, ask how you can be of help first. 

When someone opens up to you, bombarding them with your solutions is no way to help, especially when they did not ask for it. 

Often, a simple “Is there any way I can be of help in this?”, can be handy. After that, let them decide if they need it or not. 

Be mindful of what you say. 

Words can come out harsh even if you intended it to be good. Therefore, be mindful of your word choices when such situations arise. The way we talk about mental health can reinforce harmful stigma and the casual attitude that many people have toward it. 

The term "crazy" both minimises the experiences of those who live with mental illness and ascribes it to those who may simply be passionate or eccentric. 

Spread awareness. 

Apart from educating yourself, make sure to share it with others side by side. Our society stands to be very insensitive to mental problems. Therefore, educating more and more people about its importance is the need of the hour. 

Simple conversations, debates, or even a small article over messages can help others gain a better understanding of it. 

Take care of your mental health as well. 

To help someone else get better, you yourself need to be okay. Make sure you have an ally of yourself, in whom you can confide and open up easily. Show some love to yourself too. 

 To know more about Pawsitive Impact: How Pets Can Help Improve Your Mental Health read here

To know more about Empathy in Action: Enhancing Relationships Through Active Listening read here

References

https://hbr.org/2022/05/how-to-be-a-mental-health-ally

https://mashable.com/article/mental-health-ally

Tags: #depression #suffering #mentalhealth #mentalproblems #mentalsuffering #emotionalsuffering #reachingout #effectiveally #helping #mentalhealthadvocate #solveproblem #awareness #education