Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?

by Julie Smith

When we are struggling with low mood it only takes one thing to go wrong, and we have that tendency to write off the whole day.

Low mood wants you to do nothing. Therefore, doing anything positive, however small, is a healthy step in the direction you want to go.

Supporting someone does not mean that you have to connect with big, intense conversations. Human connection in the smallest of moments matters. Walking while you are talking can help those who feel uncomfortable with opening up. You can also say nothing at all. Simply spending time together, even in silence, is OK. By being there, you are helping them to feel less alone and more cared for.

If you cannot talk, write. In whatever way the words come to you. The act of getting those thoughts and feelings out on to the page can help to unravel some of what is going on in your mind and body. It is through the processing of those painful feelings that the work of grieving is done.

We are often sold the idea that happiness is the norm and anything outside of that could be a mental health problem.