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How to deal with a depressed friend

deal with a depressed friend

Depression is that state of mind where people feel very low and feel extreme dislike towards the things which influence their actions, feelings and physical health. During depression your friend needs all the support you can give.

Find out the reason of depression

For assisting a friend to pull through depression, you are required to know why he or she is depressed. Let know your friend that you know about their depressing state and you want to help. Be cautious and calm while talking to them.

In depressing state your friend might find it difficult to trust you and talk to you. Don’t feel hurt by this but try to understand what’s leading them to behave like this. Take them in confidence and encourage them to open up to you. Try to find that what really triggered your friend’s such miserable emotional state. Be careful about what about and how you talk to them. Things might not be resolved just in one conversation. It might take more than just one talk.

Hear to your friend with complete attention

Depressed people don’t like speaking about their problem. They just want to keep their problems just to themselves. But it may not necessarily be true. They might want someone to talk to but may not be able to express it. So you can step forward to help your friend.

Learn it by heart that being an empathetic listener is much more vital than giving your opinion. Encourage them to let out all their inner turmoils. Give your full attention to what they want to say without giving any kind of judgement. Show them through your gestures and words that you are listening to them and would be there to help them through. It would increase their trust in you.

Listen to whatever they want to say even if it does not relate to their problem. Let them pour out whatever they are holding inside them, from their fears, insecurities, troubles to everything. They would feel relieved to share their problems with someone close and grateful for having their support.

Bringing out their problems would clear their mind and think properly. And they would be more warm towards accepting your help.

Require insightfulness and high tolerance level

Talking to your depressed friend, its very important to be wary while dealing with them. Being in low state of mind, your friend may not really understand your intentions of help and take it in the wrong way. You would require tons of patience to handle your friend’s situation.

It can be difficult for you to ask your friend about his or her problems. It could be a tricky situation as you may not know how your friend would react. They might get angry, feel affronted or ignore you completely.

Depressed people are inclined to pull away from others and detach themselves. You possibly will have to state your wholeheartedness to your friend about listening to what your friend has to say. Then only they would let you in and share their problems. Never force them to talk . It won’t be easy but you have to maintain your calm. However you would have to be relentless as there are chances that your friend might go back into their shell of depression. Make your friend understand that they are not on their own.

Advice your friend to take expert advice

You can not have control over your friend’s revival from depression but you can lend them a hand to come out of it. Give them confidence to meet an expert who could help them in resolving their issues. Your friend may refuse the need of any kind of help but you should assure them that everything will be alright.

Convincing a depressed person to take the treatment can be hard. Depression makes a person hopeless and deplete their all their self-assurance. Their outlook towards life turns pessimistic. The depressed person may perhaps think that treatment is futile.

Tell your friend about how expert could help them in getting over their problems. make them see the positive side of meeting an expert. If they don’t want to go alone, you can accompany them. Be with your friend on every step of the treatment process. Show your full support and give them confidence to carry on in case they feel like quitting.

Sidetrack your depressed friend’s mind from their misery

It’s not necessary that all kinds of help have to be serious. You can always use some fun-filled activities to help your friend in recovering from their depression. Take them out for some senseless enjoyment. Take them to watch movies or may be for a vacation. Encourage them in doing things they love to do as their hobbies like reading, dancing, drawing, listening to music and so on. You can help them in joining some classes to learn new things. You can take your friend suffering from depression for some adventurous trip or on a picnic.

You can take the help of your other friends. More the people around, less the time your depressed friend will have to linger in his or her miserable state.

All these things will keep your friend’s mind busy and they would be able to get on with the life once again. It would help them in thinking logically and they would be able to bring their life back on the right path. It would also make the friendship connecting you and your friend stronger.

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