It ain’t easy to take care of someone with mental health issues, while also having to remember to take care of yourself!
A lot of people might make sacrifices of themselves to take care of their loved ones and that’s ok
However, you must remember that if you were to fall sick or break down due to stress, then you won’t be able to take care of anyone
So first and foremost, you need to ensure you are well
Kinda like in a plane emergency issue, what occurs?
If you are a passenger, and the oxygen mask drops, you have to ensure your oxygen mask is attached properly to yourself before you can help the people around you isn’t it?
Help yourself before you can help others
I live by this too
It feels kinda funny if a therapist is still having major issues and yet want to help others
That’s why I resolved my own mental health issues first before starting this hypnosis practice to help others
So if you are ok with it, I’ll share about your own self-care first before we talk about how to take care of someone else
How to conduct self-care?
I cannot stress enough how your overall well-being is so important
It’s about prioritizing your needs in terms of physical, emotional and spiritual health
Self-care helps you to manage stress, which isn’t just your daily work and activities, but also include stress from taking care of someone with mental illness
Which of course, allow you to better care for them
It also lowers risk of illness, as well as give you greater energy to handle daily tasks
And have healthier relationships overall
Physical health:
Besides the standard exercise and eating healthy meals, sleep is another important aspect of physical health which people tend to sacrifice
Regardless of your age, a lack of sleep will eventually cause issues like poor judgement, low energy levels, irritability etc
On top of that, incurring a sleep debt means you will have to pay back eventually
Worse-case scenario, you cannot wake up and end up late for an important date
Emotional health:
Addressing your emotional needs is important and essential, and you can do this by finding safe spaces or practicing self-love
And no this doesn’t mean retail therapy
Self-love is about being kind to yourself, recognizing boundaries and holding space
Finding a therapist is ok too, if you need a safe space that is also free from judgement
Especially if you need to cry and let go
Instead of bottling up and getting hurt
Spiritual health:
Spiritual self-care are activities that enrich or nourish the soul
Prayer and meditation are similar to some extent, helping you to connect with a higher source, whether you want to call it God or the universe
Practicing mindfulness is also a great way to open your mind and gain awareness
While self-reflection is more to understand yourself, to figure out what is truly important to you
How to take care of someone with mental health issues?
To be fair, the following tips is more of a guide as there may be some differences depending on what type of mental health issues someone has, and to what severity as well
So while I hope this aids you in some way, if you find you need more specific advice or help, do reach out and ask for it
If you want to take care or support a loved one with mental health issues, there are a few things which will help greatly
I’m going to break it down to educating oneself, emotional support, practical assistance, and encouraging professional help
You don’t necessary have to follow in this order, but it does help
1. Educating oneself in mental health issues
Now of course you don’t have to educate yourself about all mental health issues, but it will be a good idea to learn about what your loved one has
Even if there was an assessment and diagnosis done by a psychiatrist or psychologist, will the brief appointment be enough?
That’s where we have our friend Google to assist
I will say that as you read, understand that online knowledge might be broad and not everything applies to your loved one
And if you are ok with it, learning about alternative views and treatments can be a viable option
For example, I believe it is possible that food can affect one’s emotional state but whether it is a big factor or just a small one might still be subjective to the individual
But so what if you know about anxiety or depression or PTSD?
Well, it is possible that someone who is suffering from mental health issues may not be able to recognize certain symptoms in themselves, that to you is clearly anxiety, or depression, or PTSD etc
I myself fell into depression twice and I didn’t even know it!
That was many years ago way before I learnt psychology, NLP and hypnosis of course
But you see, if you are able to recognize certain signs from outside, you can help them better too
Either by helping them to be aware, or being there for them, giving them a safe space to let it out
Which leads to my further points
2. Providing emotional support
Being there for them or giving a safe space is part of emotional support for them
And because you educated yourself in their specific mental illness and its symptoms, you can allow them to share their thoughts and feelings
You can understand where they are coming from and allow them an outlet that is free of judgement or criticism
This also helps you to validate their emotions, even if you don’t feel the same way at that point in time
And what happens when they feel heard and safe?
Their episodes or emotional outburst might dissipate easier
Even if it doesn’t, if you critic or invalidate their emotions, they are more likely to worsen
They might even shut you out completely, not accepting future help
Being patient and understanding is crucial, because it ain’t easy to handle mental health issues
I will caution for you to set boundaries as well, within reason
There may be breathing techniques which can help them during an episode, which you can teach them to do in an event when you are not around
After all, it is not reasonable to drop your work completely and rush home just to be there when they have an episode
There has to be some boundaries in place because you need to take care of yourself, so you can take care of them
Giving them some form of independent control might also allow them to recognize that they can control their issue, and not let it takeover their lives
3. Practical assistance
There may be daily tasks or chores which they might have some difficulty to handle, in which case, you can offer some assistance
Don’t do everything for them, but some assistance is fine
For example, if they are on medication, you can remind them to take or set it up such that they will see it and remember to take by themselves
Linking to the food from earlier too, where you might begin to modify their diet to see if it helps
Or even use essential oils, that might calm them down or help them have better sleep at night
In some cases, you can also encourage them to do more activities
Like if you have someone with social anxiety, and perhaps there is a challenge to do grocery shopping
You can do it with them and take it as a bit of bonding time too
Or even encourage them to exercise with you, or by themselves, which can improve their mood as well
This can also help to give them some normalcy of life
And this is particularly helpful if they also have a physical health issue
For example, some people after a stroke might feel depressed because their usual functionality in life has reduced a significant amount
And being able to be independent or exercise or do their usual activities helps them to regain a sense of confidence, self-esteem to be normal again
Even if it is just restarting mild chores like cutting vegetables with a ceramic knife to help in the kitchen
All of these will help in their emotional state, as well as assist with physical therapy too
4. Encourage professional help
Especially in Asian context where we might avoid seeking professional help for mental health issues due whatever reason
In which case, all the more the encouragement and awareness is necessary
And because you educate yourself of conventional or alternative methods with regards to the specific issue
You can recognize when the amount of help you can provide isn’t adequate for their needs
Also, a professional probably has up-to-date information, as well as having the experience and knowhow on how to manage or resolve the issue
Or perhaps, your loved one might feel shy to share with you certain private matters, and thus, a third party that can provide that safe space and privacy will be helpful
If necessary, you can enquire about any concerns or questions, so that your loved one can feel safer too
There are perhaps three main things to note if you do decide to seek out a professional
First is their knowledge, or their certification
This ensures they have not only the adequate knowledge, but also the knowhow on how to handle if unexpected situations pop up
Next is their experience, whether it is the length of years in practice, or the number of clients they have worked with
This shows their level of skill, trust, and professionalism over the years
Last is quite important, it is whether your loved one (or yourself if you are seeking for yourself) feel comfortable with the therapist or practitioner
If you don’t feel comfortable for whatever reason, that is ok
It’s just that if you were to continue therapy with them, it may not be as smooth
So how to support someone with mental health issues?
If you are a caregiver for someone with mental health issues, you will need to educate yourself, provide emotional support, assist with practical tasks, and if necessary, encourage them towards professional help
On top of that, it is crucial that you treat yourself with love and kindness, and set boundaries to take care of yourself
Because only when you are well, can you take care of someone else better
It might not be easy but I believe with adequate knowledge and support from family, recovery is possible for them too
Meanwhile, feel free to drop a text if you got any questions
Until next time!
