Loving someone with depression is a whirlwind, or a roller coaster. It could be called either one. But, I wouldn’t take it back for the world. It is challenging I will give you that, and it can get to you if you let it. You can’t let it. You have to be stronger than IT.
My current boyfriend battles depression. I say it is a whirlwind because one week he will act like everything is fine, and then the next he will be upset. Then he tells me other times, he is “acting” like he is okay. In the past, I have constantly been worried about him, worried about when exactly our last text, e-mail, letter, or kiss might be. And I still do worry. I have told him that I worry when he talks in certain ways and that has upset him. But in relationships like this one, you need to be honest. In all relationships you do. He distanced himself for a while but learned to accept how I felt and we have gotten better over time. On top of the depression, we are also in a long-distance relationship. So, if he gets upset and tries to distance himself from me, I get super worried since I can’t just go to his house and see him. I have to fly half-way across the country to see if he is okay in person. So, we need to communicate with each other in order to make this relationship work. The one special thing about him is that he is really good at really “seeing” who I am and not getting distracted by the outside world. He is not into social media, so we both don’t get distracted by that when we are together. You could say he is somewhat old fashioned. He has something special about him. Along with this piece on loving someone with depression, I am going to list 10 ways on how to show love to your special someone who battles depression.
1.) Don’t tell him or her to just “get over it.”
2.) Make conversation, even if they constantly talk about feeling down. No one likes the awkward silence.
3.) Always be willing to listen.
4.) Accept him or her for they are, but do push them to do things to help themselves, such as seeing a therapist.
5.) Involve him or her in activities with your family and friends even if they aren’t “into” groups. Even if they may be uncomfortable, I bet you they still want to be involved in as much of your life as they can be.
6.) Just reach out to him or her even if they are distancing themselves, everyone likes the feeling of being wanted.
7.) Don’t be afraid to tell him or her certain things because you think they may take offense, but don’t push it too much either. There’s always a good medium.
8.) Get involved in he or she’s interests whatever it may be, such as building a rocket with them.
9.) Encourage him or her and praise them.
10.) Love him or her, like they’ve never been loved before.
