My husband is a happy person by nature, and I am not. I struggle with depression, but he has never been depressed a day in his life. I’ve tried describing what it feels like for me, but he will never truly understand. However, he is so supportive when I fall into my depression slumps. He knows how to love me through it and how to dig me out of the dark pits.
Depression is a common illness, but it seems more people have experienced it since the pandemic began. It can be hard for those who don’t deal with it themselves to know how to support their loved ones who do. If someone you care about struggles with depression, here’s what you can do to help:
1) Acknowledge the depression.
Don’t ignore the fact that it’s there because it makes the person who is suffering through it think that their feelings aren’t valid.
2) Don’t take offense.
It has nothing to do with what you are or aren’t doing. Your loved one can’t help it. Their brain is wired differently than yours.
3) Help.
But be subtle. Don’t ask “How can I help you?” or “Is this helping?” It will only draw attention to the fact that the sufferer has an issue and make them feel like they are being a burden. Don’t get frustrated if something doesn’t seem to work. Try it again another time or attempt something else completely.
4) Love them through it.
It’s not fun dealing with somebody who has depression. Movies and books romanticize it, but it’s quite ugly and impacts relationships negatively. But I can tell you that the sufferer already hates the fact that they have to put others through their suffering, so not being there for them or ignoring the problem will only make things worse. If the sufferer knows you love them despite this soul-sucking illness, then it gives them more of a push to get out of bed each morning.
5) Pray for them.
We all know God can work miracles, and sometimes the sufferer needs divine intervention to get them out of the deepest pits. During my darkest times, I didn’t even have the energy to pray, so you need to be the prayer warrior for them.
Dealing with depression is so hard, but having a good support system makes it bearable. If you can be that person for somebody, then it will make all the difference in the world.
Kelsey Norman is a Kansas native and former elementary teacher. She now lives in Colorado with her husband and their two daughters where she works as a textbook editor. Kelsey hopes that her novels inspire her readers and allow them an escape. When Kelsey isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, hiking, and dancing.
Her past left her wounded, but he has the power to heal–
Nina Anderson is lucky to be alive. After years of abuse at the hands of her boyfriend, she’s finally free. Determined to get back on her feet, she’s left her past behind for a fresh start on her grandparents’ farm in Despair, Kansas. Even though, Jeremy, the man who’d abused her is in prison fifteen-hundred miles away, Nina is still haunted by dark memories.
Then a mysterious, unearthly man appears bringing her the respect she’s always wanted—and maybe even a chance at love. He’s been sent to serve as Nina’s protector and to help her with an event that is to occur in the near future. The catch is, Liam doesn’t know what it is or when it will take place. Will he have the power to save her and restore Nina’s faith in God?
