Remember, you don’t have to pretend life is perfect just because you’re a Christian. But you can point people to a Savior who sympathizes with our sorrows and wants to sit with us in the midst of them. Whether you’re aware of it or not, this period of discouragement is giving you genuine empathy for friends, family and coworkers with similar struggles.
Don’t push them to be happy all the time
While mental illness alone is not a reason to break up with someone, if this is causing other issues that you cannot work through, that’s not a healthy place to be. In this moment, it’s incredibly important not to judge them or make them feel uncomfortable. Listen, be sensitive, and ask questions if you have any, but don’t bombard them with too many—save the rest for another discussion!
Don’t Take It Personally
Do not try to fix their problems, give unsolicited advice, or judge their feelings. It’s not something they can just “get over” or “snap out of.” If they could, they would’ve done it already. Help them to see this is a normal abnormality for a Christian living in a fallen world and a fallen body. The Bible and Church history reveal that many Christians have suffered with depression and almost all of them eventually get better.
Depression can affect people in different ways and that’s why it can be overwhelming and confusing dating someone with depression. But many people have been able to do it with a positive and compassionate approach. The act of taking care of yourself when your partner is depressed might seem unreasonable and unthinkable. Though wanting to impress is a part of any relationship, one of the most important things you can do is understand your partner’s limits. When someone dates us, they often think that it is their sole duty to impress us by doing what would make us happy, even when it is not unhealthy for their mental state.
Don’t Leave Them Along
And with one partner depressed, the other is left unsure of what to do. Dating someone with depression can be difficult to navigate, and it’s not uncommon. It’s estimated at least 7% of U.S. adults suffer from depression, causing things like low motivation, low self-worth, and a myriad of other issues. Calling them lazy for not cleaning or completing tasks will only worsen their depression and feeling of self-worth. Instead, try encouraging them or even offering to help them with these tasks and complete them alongside them. One of the worst parts about depression — is that it robs hopes.
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Try asking them about what they have going on in their life that may have overwhelmed their emotional system. More than anything, people living with depression need validation that their emotions are real and not something to be ashamed about. They need to know they have every right to be feeling the way they are feeling, no matter how seemingly large or small the circumstances are that have led to those emotions.
But it can be especially painful when you are sharing someone’s struggles with mental illness. Sadly, some Christians can be very judgmental about mental illness, but that is not a biblical response. Mental illness is not something you should be made to feel ashamed of or fear sharing with your church community. He declares each of these cravings as “meaningless.” When you experience depression, it’s easier to share Solomon’s perspective because none of these things can lift you out of depression. Sometimes medications help correct or lessen these issues and so treat depression. Just as people with high blood pressure take medication to help their circulatory systems function better, you may need to seek out medication to help your brain function better.
If you’re dating someone with depression, the road can be bumpy, but with treatment and support, it may not feel as overwhelming. This means continuing to do the things that give you joy and https://hookupsranked.com/ keep you feeling satisfied. Allowing yourself to give up your own sources of joy in order to care for a partner living with depression can lead to resentment or depression within yourself.
It’s also type-A personalities, it’s high achievers, it’s happy people, it’s people with everything going well in their life. Your partner might have some negative thought patterns and ways of thinking that you don’t understand. They might make comments like “I can’t do anything right,” in which case it’s understandable that you will want to reject their thoughts to make them feel better.
I do so much for them.’ Try to remember that when it comes to depression, it’s not about you, per se. Are just going to get in the way.” Not to mention, they’ll make you miserable, too. Mental illness temporarily took her life from her and made her forget she had a youngest child.
As I was healing from a season of deep depression and anxiety, I got to sit next to a young woman who was in the thick of it. Tears streamed down her face as she whispered, “Me too,” again and again. I put my arm around this woman and prayed for the things I had needed just a few months before. The Bible provides many examples of people experiencing depression, darkness and frustration with God. You can wish you no longer existed but look fine to the people around you.