How you respond to someone that is showing signs of emotional - TopicsExpress



          

How you respond to someone that is showing signs of emotional distress is often dependent on your relationship with that person. If you have a long history with the person, you may be a key resource for support and feel comfortable having a discussion with them about how they are feeling. If the person struggling is a recent acquaintance, your role may involve letting someone else know about the problem. Regardless, it is important to remember that you aren’t a therapist and it isn’t your job to provide treatment. Your role is to be supportive and encourage them to reach out to other family, friends, medical or mental health professionals as a first step — even if you don’t fully understand the problem or its severity. Despite your good intentions, they might be reluctant to accept the possibility that they could have an emotional disorder and they may not react to support in a positive way. They might say that the best way to help is to “back off” or ignore the problem, but it is important that you don’t do the following: • Enable them by covering up for missed obligations • Continue to participate with them in behaviours (like drinking) that are agitating their mental health • Back down on the importance of seeking help – remember, many emotional disorders require professional support and aren’t something people can fix on their own • Feel like you are going behind their back if you think it’s necessary to tell someone else about the problem without their consent • Taking on the burden of a loved one in emotional distress can be extremely stressful and draining so remember to recognize your limits and take care of your own emotional health. When we see someone who is sad, angry or anxious, it is our instinct to ask “what’s wrong?” However, someone dealing with a mental health problem may have certain thoughts or feelings that aren’t related to a specific situation or event. So when approaching a family member, friend or co-worker or customer who is showing signs of a problem or dealing with emotional distress, it is important to be patient and supportive. You may not be able to understand exactly how they are feeling and it may seem uncomfortable or awkward to discuss personal and emotional issues, but you can listen and let them know they aren’t alone. Here are some key points you can communicate to someone in need: • Sometimes people see asking for help as a sign of weakness so you can comfort them by giving them an example of a time you or someone you know struggled and needed support. • You can feel better. They may feel hopeless or like no one can understand or help them, so it’s important to make them see that reaching out for support is the first step to feeling better. • Mental health problems are treatable and manageable once identified, so sometimes we need a mental check-up in the same way we get other medical exams. • It’s OK to ask for help. Remember, our backgrounds, cultures and experiences can have a huge impact on how we view help-seeking. Some people may come from families or ethnic groups where asking for help or seeing a mental health professional is shunned or thought of as weak (when it is actually a sign of strength). Thinking about why a person might be reluctant to get help can be important in deciding how to suggest they reach out for support. If you are concerned that they might be thinking about harming themselves or someone else, it is important that you don’t try and deal with that situation alone. You can call the the Samaritans for impartial support on 08457 90 90 90 or if it is an emergency situation do not hesitate call 999
Posted on: Tue, 10 Sep 2013 15:09:07 +0000

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