Poor mental health can affect every aspect of you life. Including relationships with friends, family, and loved ones. With Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions this has become even more clear to us. During this time we have been reminded of the importance social contact and the strength of our relationships are on our mental well-being.
Poor mental health can affect every aspect of you life. Including relationships with friends, family, and loved ones. With Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions this has become even more clear to us. During this time we have been reminded of the importance social contact and the strength of our relationships are on our mental well-being.
Healthier behaviours
There are countless benefits to good mental health and social relationships. Some of these benefits include a lower chance of developing stress, depression and anxiety
One way to lower stress, depression, and anxiety is to seek emotional and social support from relationships. They can also help to provide a platform where you can build up and improve your self-esteem.
Having positive relationships and a strong support network can be useful for someone in need of professional help, regarding their mental health. This help and support will increase the likelihood of adhering to the plans laid out for them. In addition to this, you are also more likely to stick to healthy lifestyle changes that you have implemented such as eating a well-balanced diet, exercising and an improved sleeping pattern. These physical changes that you have made will in turn improve your mental health.
Stress
When someone is dealing with stress, maintaining a relationship with a partner, friends or family can be a challenge. This is because it can put you in a mindset where you just want to spend more time alone. This can result in you becoming more distant to the ones you love. Also, due to the nature of your feelings it can also impact your mood and make you more irritable. This can lead to your partner or family members becoming more defensive and argumentative in response to you.
Depression
There are multiple symptoms of depression that can have an impact on your relationships. This would include irritability, lack of motivation, low mood and self-esteem. Over time your partner will be able to see something isn’t quite right with you, the reluctance to leave the house, losing interest in what you once enjoyed and seemingly shutting them out of your life. For your partner this behaviour such as not being emotionally open or available and not wanting to spend time with them can put a strain on the relationship.
Hesitancy in opening up about your mental health and your feelings is not something you are alone in as there has always been a stigma surrounding mental illnesses. However, you should know that communication is one of the keys to being in a positive and healthy relationship.
Helpful tips:
- Education – sit down together and start by educating yourselves on the condition that is affecting you. This can help as it allows you to gain a better understanding of what you are experiencing, what is triggering these experiences and how these symptoms can take shape in your relationship
- Communication – remember, your partner is here to help you so speak openly to them about how you are feeling. For the partner, try engaging in active listening so they can see that you are serious about helping. You can do this by focusing on what is being said, listening and not interrupting and asking questions.
- Patience/expectations – You need to be patient and realistic about your expectations because this will not resolve overnight. It will also take them time before they are comfortable to open up to you. You also don’t want to make talking about their feelings a subject of every conversation you have; it is important to have some normality in your relationship.
- Self-care – includes implementing regular exercise, eating healthily and a consistent sleeping schedule to improve your physical and mental well-being
- Professional help – seek individual counselling to help you feel more comfortable talking through what you are experiencing
- Don’t neglect your own well-being – supporting someone with poor mental health can be stressful and demanding as you may want to give them time to work on themselves by lowering their work load and taking it on yourself. If you are not careful and do not look after your own well-being, in the process you may find your own health starting to decline. It is important to know your own limits and not neglect your own needs
