Working on Wellness: Mental Health Awareness Month
Week 4: Supporting Someone Else
“Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day.”
If someone you know is struggling emotionally or having a hard time, you can be the difference in getting them the help they need.
Support leads to greater mental wellness by:
Building connection, which is an antidote to stress.
Creating increased vulnerability with someone else, which strengthens a bond.
Fostering the feeling that you are not alone.
Providing a space to gain perspective on the difficulty you’re experiencing.
Support starts with being an active listener. This is more than hearing what someone has to say, it is being present with them and asking open-ended questions to get more details about what they are experiencing.
We often feel like we need to find a solution to what they are experiencing, but that may not be what they want. Usually the best way to help is to simply ask what you can do to support them.
Click the button to the right for information from the National Alliance on Mental Illness on what to do If someone you know or love is experiencing crisis.