When we’re asked who we would turn to for help if we were mentally or emotionally struggling, we usually list our close friends as the greatest support system.
This reminds me of the well-known proverb: A friend in need is a friend indeed. It might sound like a cliché to you, but it’s the truth. Because the best way you can check if someone is your true friend is to pay attention to the way they treat you when you’re in mental distress.
The friend who truly loves and cares about you will never leave you to deal with your problems or pain on your own. Whether you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, or any other mental disorder, they’ll be there to offer you their unconditional help and support. They’ll give their best to help you overcome your problems and ease your pain.
This is exactly how you should treat your friends who are struggling.
First of all, you need to understand that they need you to love them. They need you to treat them with kindness and compassion. But, this won’t be always easy.
It won’t be easy to be always there for someone who can’t be always there for you.
It won’t be easy to take care of and sacrifice for someone who can’t get out of bed.
It won’t be easy to devote a great amount of your time and attention to someone who can’t do the same thing for you.
But, isn’t this why best friends are for?
Because friends are people who lift you up when you’re at your lowest. People who do their best to help you get up and motivate you to move on with your life. People who believe in your strength and make sure you’re aware of it as well.
Friends are people who don’t leave you when your life gets hard. Instead, they stay by your side and try their best to help you solve your problems and overcome your pain. They fight your own battles. They fight your own demons.
Friends are people who stick with you through thick and thin and who make sure you never give up on yourself.
Friends are people who offer you their help, support, and love without expecting anything in return. Because they genuinely care about you.
Friends are people who are your strength. Courage. Guiding light. Happiness. Peace. Hope.
A friend is someone who is not perfect and who knows you aren’t either, and yet they accept and cherish you the way you are.
All this is what you should always remind yourself of when your friends are in mental distress.
Because sometimes they will appear ungrateful. They’ll appear detached and cold.
Sometimes you will think they only care about themselves.
But, nothing of this is true. They’re just tired. They’re tired of everything they’re going through. They’re tired of constantly struggling. They are tired of trying to be strong all the time.
So, make sure you never judge, criticize, or get mad at them when they get too emotional or cranky. Instead, be patient with them. Be kind and compassionate to them. Since this is exactly what they need.
They need to know you’re always there for them. They need to know you understand them and that they can entirely rely on you for your help and support.
They need to know you love them.
And don’t doubt that one day, when things get better, they’ll love and cherish you in exactly the same way you loved and cherished them.
Riley Cooper is a professional writer who writes informative and creative articles on topics related to various fields of study. Written with love and enthusiasm, her articles inspire readers to broaden their knowledge of the world, think and get ready to act. If you have a general question or comment please fill out the form and we will get back to you as soon as possible https://curiousmindmagazine.com/contact-us/