Dealing with friends and depression

This blog entry was requested by someone who commented on my last one. I will do my best to offer my advice :)

One of the problems I have been forced to deal with recently is certain friends going through depression. It is incredibly hard to convince someone that there is more to life than what they may see (which I tend to imagine as a black and white filter). I definitely would not advise anyone who is in the same situation to take it upon themselves to help their friends. There is only so much you can do for one person, and if you try to go over the top with the amount of help you offer, you will only tire yourself out and may not offer anything particularly helpful.

Of course, you can always offer support, a shoulder to cry and your own advice etc. But take it from someone who has been stuck in this situation: letting other people's issues get to you will only leave you with problems of your own. 

You should be your own priority - focus on your life before you get tangled up in other people's. For a while, as I was attempting to deal with this problem, I was not the best version of myself. I was exhausted from sitting up at night trying to figure my way out of someone else's mess, I couldn't concentrate in school and I was incredibly irritable. I only started getting out of this stage when I began to talk to people about my friend's issue and how I felt about it. At first it felt wrong, but I'm glad I did it. Of course, telling someone does not always mean talking to the staff at school. Instead, it could be a parent or close friend. Just get it off your chest. 

Despite this, if your friend's depression takes a turn for the worse and you are seriously worried for their mental health, I would definitely advise telling someone who could help. After all, a best friend is not a substitute for a trained professional councillor. You could tell a teacher or your friend's parents if you are seriously concerned (also, some schools can offer therapy or a psychiatrist for this kind of thing). Neither you or your friend deserve to suffer in silence. 

I really hope this helps! Lovely person who commented on my blog, I wish you and your friends the best :D

If this helped, please do remember to follow me, share the blog or make sure you are emailed whenever I post a blog entry. I am planning to write stuff on my summer holidays when school ends, which should hopefully be more jolly that this entry is (although I am glad to offer my assistance). 

If you have an issue you want me to talk about in a future blog entry, please let me know in the comments and I will try my best to offer my advise :)

Best wishes again,

Lucy x