This time we’ll talk about what to do when you’re doing well, but your partner/s are battling mental health issues.

Dating and mental health, a series.

It can be a full-blown depression, lighter depression, anxiety, social anxiety or any other form. These tips should be general enough to cover those generally but please remember that I am NOT a healthcare professional and can only talk from my varied life experience. Of course, each person is different and you should always do your own research and consider the particular situation you’re in before following any advice.

If you’re able to help with those things that are simple for you but require more spoons from your partner, they'll appreciate it. Ask them about the issues they're struggling with.

When I get depressed I neglect my environment and my room can get extremely messy. I hate living that way but also don't feel I have the ability to do it myself. For a long time, I used to ask friends to come over and sit with me while I tidy. 

They didn't have to do anything apart from keeping me company.

Doing it myself made me feel more capable than I felt at the time, having someone around for company made the process less hard and kept me accountable. When I finished I felt better for having a clean and organized space and very accomplished since when my room was messy, it was a constant reminder of the fact I wasn't doing well and 'fixing' that felt like an incredible step in the right direction.


Encourage healthy behavior and seeking help. 

Active listening is an incredibly powerful tool. I understand the frustration of seeing someone you care about dealing with hardship and wanting to ‘fix it’, but you can’t fix them. When I talk about my problems, I do it to organise the constant overwhelming wave of self-doubt I have, explain what I’m feeling and generally to try to dial myself back from overthinking every piece of my life. When my ex kept cutting me off to offer his solutions to my problems, it made me feel judged, damaged, and resulted in me folding back into myself and doubting myself even more.

But when my friends would then ask actual questions about the topic, would ask me how I feel, where it’s coming from, why I am feeling that way, how this situation is different from others where I was happier, things suddenly got clearer and a lot of times I felt much better and was able to put things in words, come up with real solutions that worked for me and have a better understanding of how I felt.

Try to remember that your partner is doing their best. They can't just 'snap out of it' because if they could, they would. Open and honest conversation with careful language that won't make them feel judged can help them to open up in explaining what they think is the cause of their issues (if there is a cause), it can help them with expressing what type of help they might need.Open and judgment-free communication can also help them feel accepted since this can be a very isolating condition and loneliness is terrible for good mental health. Be patient. You can't 'fix them' or take away the issues, but knowing that you are there for support can be an important step towards their recovery.