Sometimes there are no simple answers or simple solutions to mental health challenges, especially when it comes to suicide. Those who want to completely end their lives are usually emotionally drained and isolated at the precipice of a mental health crisis. Someone or some person sees no way out of it.
One of the most important aspects of life is to develop positive relationships or have fulfilling and meaningful relationships with friends and family. People who we love and respect can help to create meaning in our lives and our important support systems.
If you know someone who is struggling with mental health issues, try to help them deal with their crises and be that person in their lives who can truly help make a difference.
Tips to build good relationships
1. Be empathetic: it’s a basic part of a human relationship, and it’s an even more crucial component when dealing with someone who is going through a mental health crisis.
The key to developing a meaningful relationship is to listen to what someone has to say rather than just hear what they have to say. For instance, while speaking with someone or a person who is going through a tough or harder time with regard to mental health, it’s important to maintain or make eye contact during the conversation and be fully present at the moment. Avoid interrupting them, try to build a deeper conversation with them, and listen to them. This can help the opposite person or someone feel more seen and heard and eventually help them open up to you about their mental health struggles.
2. Be Aware of another’s perspective: keep another person or person’s perspective in mind. It’s a simple but difficult thing to take a step or follow things. When we take time to see things from other people’s perspectives equally, it helps us to understand them better and makes for a more meaningful relationship. After all, everyone wants to feel like their experience and opinions are valued and respected, and, for those who are struggling with mental health issues, it’s even more important and valuable. However, try to look at things from another person’s or someone’s perspective next time you’re in the conversation, and you may be surprised when you learn and even help them to see beyond their current situation.
3. Open communication: communication is the first system we learn in life. Whether it’s learning, speaking, or using actions and gestures to convey our feelings, it’s one of the most important aspects of human life. However, as we get older, meaningful communication or conversion becomes more difficult and having tough conversations about how we truly feel becomes rarer. But these conversations are vital for those who are coping with issues including depression or anxiety, and at times, having open and honest conversations can mean the difference between life and death.
4. Connection with oneself: While external relationships play an important role, a relationship with ourselves and building our self-esteem and self-worth play the most significant role for ourselves, and it is a crucial aspect of mental health. It’s cultivating a positive relationship with ourselves. We need to be kind and accept our flaws and work on accepting our bodies and minds the way they are. It is probably the most important thing we can do for our mental health.
5. Seek help: life is not easy when life is under a lot of pressure. Sometimes we feel like we aren’t good enough and that everything is going wrong. Including feelings and emotions can easily precipitate thoughts of self-harm. However, therapists, counselors, and psychiatrists can help.
Through their years of experience and study, therapists are trained to help people who deal with mental health crises. For instance, someone who is going through a breakup after a long-term relationship or a student who failed their exam might not get past the failure that seems monumental and something that they cannot get past. However, a trained psychologist can also help in realising that failure in exams, careers, or relationships isn’t permanent, and hence seeking help is an important step in the fight against suicide and mental health problems.
Additionally, society and people play a significant role in promoting mental health awareness. Public awareness initiatives and programmes were organised, including stress plays, like the one recently organised and conducted by Whistling Woods International at Churchgate station on the day of World Suicide Prevention Day, street art, and associated people, which can help to reduce the stigma associated with discussing mental health openly.
However, having a positive personal relationship and being part of a society that is non-judgemental about mental health issues are some of the most important factors that can help to prevent suicide.
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