What I Wish My Friends Knew About My Mental Health Problems? It’s Not a Reflection On You.

As someone who struggled with mental health problems my emotions and moods were all over the place. Trying to navigate a normal life with mental strains is difficult and the result of this is to either withdraw, become more irritable or behave differently than usual.

If somebody you love is struggling mentally and their default response to this struggle is to always be isolated or ‘moody’, it is not a personal dig at you, they are just trying to deal with a very debilitating experience as best as possible. In most cases isolation or an emotional dip is their best option.

I know from the outside looking in, its incredibly frustrating to navigate the inconsistencies and whiplash of someone’s mental struggles, especially when very little is said to communicate this to you in advance, but take it from me, it is NEVER about you, trust me.

There is just something about mental challenges that makes it incredibly difficult to explain to someone what it is that you are feeling and experiencing. Often times to the sufferer, silence is always often the best course of action. I am in no way encouraging bad or abusive behavior in defense of mental illness, but what I am suggesting is, rather than always taking the defense, focus on how the person is feeling rather than how they are acting towards you.

Understanding the ques of someone’s psyche without the frustrations of miscommunication goes a long way in maintaining healthy and supportive relationships.