When your partner is suffering from depression, it can be difficult to know how to help. Every situation is different, but there are some things you can try to do to help your boyfriend through a difficult mental health situation. As with most relationship problems or situations, communication is key!
Here are nine ways to help your boyfriend while he’s dealing with
depression.
1. Acknowledge It
The most important step is to acknowledge what your boyfriend is going through. While it may be easier to ignore the problem, ignoring it will make it more difficult in the long run. Acknowledging your boyfriend’s feelings and struggles is the first step to helping him.
2. Have a Discussion
After acknowledging the situation, have a conversation about it with your boyfriend. Be sure not to start this conversation when experiencing heightened emotions, such as after a fight. You want to be as levelheaded as possible when discussing sensitive topics.
Start the conversation by assuring him you’re coming from a place of love and concern. You’ll want to discuss how he’s feeling, how you can support him, and his plan for dealing with depression.
3. Support Him
Supporting your boyfriend can look different in every situation, but the key is supporting him how he wants to be supported. You may have some ideas about how you want to support him, and that’s great! However, your methods may not be what he needs.
For example, you may want to advise him when he wants someone to listen to him when he discusses his feelings. The easiest way to find out how you can best support him is to ask! Keep in mind that his needs may change, so it’s important to communicate frequently about how he needs to be
supported.
4. Give Him Space
You might want to constantly check in on your boyfriend or spend as much time with him as possible, but this could easily become overwhelming for him. He may begin to feel pressured and could even get defensive.
Instead, have a few designated times throughout the week when you ask him how he’s doing, specifically regarding his mental health. Be respectful of his space, and don’t overdo it.
5. Remind Him of Resources
When someone is struggling with depression or other mental health issues, they may forget or overlook the available resources. It can be hard to reach out when you’re in a dark place, so he might need a bit of a push. If he’s in university, look into the university’s mental
health resources and send him some information. See if there are any affordable options for therapy in your city.
6. Online Therapy
Online psychotherapy is also becoming more widely available, which is great if he’s busy or lives somewhere with limited mental health resources. Lastly, remind him that speaking to a doctor or psychiatrist who can prescribe medication is an option. Many people on medication for depression lead full, happy lives, and there’s no shame in this treatment.
7. Acts of Service Go a Long Way
When dealing with depression, even the most mundane everyday tasks can become difficult to complete. If your boyfriend is struggling with depression, there are little things you can do every day to help lighten his load.
It can be as easy as taking out the trash, cooking dinner, or running an errand for him. This doesn’t mean taking on all his chores or responsibilities but helping him when you know he’s having a difficult day.
8. Plan Something Fun
This may be a short-term solution, but it can help nonetheless! Plan a fun activity together if your boyfriend has been through a rough patch. Whether going to the zoo, a concert, cooking food together, or hiking, having something to look forward to might help your boyfriend through an extra difficult time. At the very least, it will help take his mind off things for a while.
9. Reassure Him
In today’s world of toxic masculinity, your boyfriend may feel like he’s less worthy or less of a man for struggling with depression. It’s important to be there to reassure him of his worth as a man and that struggling with mental health doesn’t change that.
10. Take Care of Yourself
You can’t pour from an empty cup, or rather, you can’t support someone struggling with their mental health if you struggle too. Make sure you take care of yourself, too. Practice self-care often, whether having time to read, walk, or spend time with your other friends and family. Your mental well-being is as important as your boyfriend’s, so take care of yourself.
