Take Care of Yourself

Supporting a person with depression can sometimes be difficult. Depression affects everything about a person – how he thinks, behaves, and interacts with others. This can be hard to understand and accept, potentially leaving us feeling frustrated, angry, guilty, or sad. If we don’t pay attention to and address these feelings, they can wear us down. It’s important to make sure that our efforts to support a guy aren’t compromising our own health.

Tips for maintaining your health

Be realistic

While it is natural to want to help solve the problems of someone close to us, the reality is that we won’t be able to solve his depression for him. Overcoming depression requires a committed effort of the individual himself, along with his support system.

Be patient

Depression isn’t something that anyone can simply “fix” or “get over”. The road to recovery is a long one, often filled with bumps along the way. Patience and persistence are required for this journey.

Set limits on what you are able to provide

Taking on too much responsibility and pressure in support of another person can quickly get overwhelming. If you need a break, be honest and work toward more sustainable levels of support. If necessary, you may want to set some boundaries around what you are willing to do and not do.

Keeping your emotions bottled up will only make things worse.

Also, remind yourself that there is a limit to the support you can offer, and you can’t be expected to fill the role of a health professional.

Consider seeking support for yourself

It can be a grind helping someone with depression tackle a tough illness. Getting some support for ourselves can help keep us buoyed. If you feel like you need a boost for yourself, reach out to friends and family, talk to a counsellor, or try attending a support group for people in similar situations (which are becoming quite common nowadays).