Staying positive in a relationship with a depressed individual
Being in a relationship that has one party depressed can cause stress and heartache on everyone involved. Almost everyone has some point in their life when they have depression or when someone close to them has depression. In America, around 19 million adults have some time of depression; only twenty percent will seek treatment or help with that depression. Depression causes a handful of problems like lack of motivation, feelings of hopelessness, crying, and anxiety. So how do you stay positive when your partner is depressed? Here are some ways that may help you.
Stay calm. If you can stay calm through a situation with your partner, this will help keep your partner calm. It can be very difficult to keep calm, but do what you can to calm yourself. This may be by taking deep breaths, walking or pacing, or walking away from the situation for a few minutes. Once you know you can keep calm, do what you can to reduce the tension and frustration. When you are both at a calm point, you can focus on what caused that stress and try to resolve it.
|
|
You can help your partner by listening. A lot of people who are depressed feel as if they have no one to talk to. Be there someone that they can go to and confide in when they are feeling down. Listen to what they have to say and give them positive feedback. You may get a negative reaction, but keep on pushing with the positive. Like mentioned before, try to stay calm in the situation; getting upset will only make the situation worse and harder to recover from.
When your partner starts to get into a bad mood and have negative thoughts about themselves or people around them, try to turn their thoughts around by talking to them about something positive. If they are being hard on themselves, such as how they look or saying `I am not good at anything', tell them how wonderful they are and how they have affected you in so many good ways. If you smile, they may find themselves smiling back at you. Make them look at themselves in the mirror or have them write down things about themselves. Push them to look at the good and not the bad. It may be hard, but the harder you try, the more they will do it.
Keep your partner motivated and moving. It may be difficult at first, but once your partner knows that you are going to be persistent and not stop, they will start planning things before you. You can do such activities as hiking, running, shopping, going to lunch once a week, working on the house or yard, scrap-booking, or even bowling. Doing something that makes your partner interact with others may increase their mood also. Try to get them to exercise on a daily basis because this releases endorphins, which help to enhance the mood. When you are surrounded by other people who are happy, it helps you maintain a positive mood.
When you find yourself getting stuck and not being able to stay positive in a situation, write your thoughts down. Keep a journal of all the activities you have gone through and what has made you become down and hard on yourself. Be sure to also write down what has made you happy. When you find yourself in a mood, read what you have written that has made you happy. Start reflecting that in your life again. To keep your partner positive, you must stay positive first, and that is a hard challenge itself. Find your spot in life that you can always turn to when things get hard.
