We quite often come across lists of things to avoid saying to someone with depression but can we say to someone suffering?
Our immediate inclination may be to want to help them out of their dark space. We want to make things better and we want whatever is troubling them to go away. If you haven’t suffered with clinical depression it may not be so clear what is useful and what is not useful to say. How can you know what it feels like if you haven’t been through it yourself? It may be an uncomfortable place to acknowledge that you’re not familiar with the depths of despair someone seems to be experiencing. Platitudes and rallying support may be met with a brick wall.
So What Is Useful To Say?
Even if you are very close to the person suffering, knowing what to say may be a challenge. The following are some starter tips for what to say to show support for someone experiencing depression.
“I Love You”
“Would you like some space?”
“You may not want to talk right now so can I just sit with you?”
“I’m here for you and I care”
“When you’re ready to talk I will be here to listen”
“Can I make you a cup of tea?”
“You are not alone”
“You matter”
“You are important to me”
“I know things are tough right now but I’ll always be here”
Getting help
Getting professional help and having counselling for depression is an important first step. Depression will affect 1 in 3 people at some point in their life so know that you are not alone in feeling the way you do.
