Melanie McGregor is the communications and advancement specialist for the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Halton Region branch. - Canadian Mental Health Association photo
Melanie McGregor is the communications and advancement specialist for the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Halton Region branch. - Canadian Mental Health Association photo
As shared many times in this column, having supportive conversations with people who may be experiencing mental health problems is vital.
On the flip side, it’s also important to support people when they return to a more positive place in their wellness and to recognize their individual strengths, coping strategies, and recovery.
Just as we don’t want to define people by their struggles with mental health and talk only about those, we also don’t want to assume that they don’t want to talk once they are in a better place.
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It’s not like mental health and wellness become irrelevant just because they are doing well. Sharing how they are feeling and doing better can build on positive feelings and actually help them appreciate even more the progress they’ve made.
When it comes down to it, these conversations are about engagement, empathy, and encouragement. Here are some specific tips to keep in mind:
• First of all, be open to talking. Bringing up that you’ve noticed some positive changes won’t jinx anything — it will show that you are paying attention and that you care. Something like “You seem to be in a great mood today” or “I’ve noticed you’ve seemed more relaxed lately” can be great ways to engage and start conversations.
• Show interest and validate. Responding with something like “So you’ve found a therapist that works for you — that must be so reassuring” shows that all of their experiences and emotions — both challenging and not — are important and worthy. That’s at the heart of empathy.
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• Ask about how the changes you’ve noticed are impacting them. Let’s say they discuss how they’ve made more time for self-care and are sleeping better. Talking about how that’s improved their focus at work or otherwise helped with the challenges they experienced can reinforce and encourage them to continue to take positive steps.
• Ask if there is anything you can do to help maintain or continue the improvement. The support of others is key to maintaining wellness, not just regaining it.
Remember that whether it’s good or not so good, mental health always matters.
Melanie McGregor is the communications and advancement specialist at the Canadian Mental Health Association Halton Region Branch, which provides mental health/addiction community support and education. Visit www.halton.cmha.ca for more information and follow @cmhahalton on Twitter.
