People say they don’t understand why others battle depression because social media comedy is enough to take your sorrows away. That baffles my mind because there’s so much oxygen but asthmatic patients need inhalers. There’s so much sunlight during the day, yet people need glasses to see. What about that?
Over here in my country, people literally make silly comments anytime someone comes out to talk about their mental health. Talk of Yeah, we’re all going through a lot but…. and others. Well, we forget we are all different and not everyone can go through a bad day and come out “okay”. Yes, we all go through dark times but it’s unfortunate some people get stuck in a maze and find it really hard to come out.
The first and best thing you can do to help such people is to be there, to be present. Sometimes, your presence is enough to remind and encourage them to keep fighting and going. It’s like a person stuck in a jungle in the middle of nowhere. The sight of an aeroplane could push him/her to keeping moving.
Whiles being there for the person, it is very essential to remind them of their good days. Life becomes bearable when we remember the good times we had. Those days have the tendency of restoring hope in our lives. It’s more like, if you were in such a state sometime ago, that means you can get there again.
A person going through depression doesn’t recognize himself anymore so it could be really helpful to assist them to recall their great qualities and what they are capable of or even better, their achievements, if they have any. This could help them be proud of themselves which is a step towards their betterment.
Now, the gem I saved for the last is encouraging them do what they love. From experience, sometimes, motivating a depressed person do the things they love could give them the strength they need to find themselves again. It could spark a burning fire for a passion they lost and help them back on their feet.
Depression doesn’t make people less human and it’s quite unfair that such people who come out to share what they are going through are ridiculed. As I said, take it that such people are stuck in bad days and do your best to help them crossover.
So the next time you see someone ranting about their mental health online, just remember a kind comment to let them know they are not alone will cost you 0$ but that “all you need is food” comment can cost their sanity or even worse, their lives.
Image is mine