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How You Can Make a Difference in Someone’s Mental Health
May 4, 2022
This Week, from May 2nd to 8th, we celebrate the Canadian Mental Health Association’s 71st Mental Health Week and this year’s theme is ‘Exploring Empathy.’ Empathy is the capacity we share as human beings to step into each other’s shoes, to understand where others are coming from and what they’re feeling.
Given the significant toll that the pandemic has had on Canadian’s mental health, it’s more important than ever to practice empathy. If you have a friend, a loved one, or a colleague who is struggling, you might think it’s better to not get involved. You might fear saying or doing the wrong thing or choose to leave it to the professionals. But it’s important to know that there are some simple things that you can do to support your loved one’s mental health.
Practice Active Listening
To be an active listener and not a passive listener, you must go beyond simply ‘hearing’ the individual. It’s important that when you’re listening, you make it known that you are actively listening with simple phrases like “I’m here for you” and “I hear you.” Another important part of active listening is making sure there are no distractions present. An example of this would be doing household tasks while on the phone with a friend who is trying to communicate their struggles to you. When active listening it is also important to remember that it’s not about you. Avoid the urge to give your opinion or unsolicited advice and keep an open mind.
For more tips on active listening, check out the article “The Art of Listening in Six Simple Steps,” on the Mental Health Week microsite.
Take Care of Your Mental Health First
You’ve likely heard the saying “you can’t pour from an empty cup” or the analogy of how you always put your own mask on first when in an emergency on an aircraft. This rings especially true when supporting others with their mental health. In order to provide the best support possible to your loved ones, you must ensure that you are in a good headspace as well and that you have the capacity to support another. Remember, you can only support others if you are also supporting yourself.
One risk that can come along with empathy is compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue happens when we spend so much of our energy trying to support others that we become exhausted ourselves. To avoid compassion fatigue, we must be able to pay attention to someone else’s experiences and struggles without losing sight of our own.
Learn more about compassion fatigue from the Mental Health Week article here.
Educate Yourself
There are ways you can educate yourself on different mental health issues, skills to help you when supporting others, and what programs and services are available in your region. CMHA HKPR offers a wide range of training and education opportunities, including Mental Health First Aid, which provides individuals with the skills necessary to help someone who may be developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. Just as physical first aid is administered to an injured person before medical treatment can be obtained, Mental Health First Aid can be provided until appropriate professional treatment is found or until the crisis is resolved. CMHA HKPR also offers Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) which is a two-day workshop that helps individuals feel more comfortable, confident and competent in helping to prevent the immediate risk of suicide.
Learn more about education and training with CMHA HKPR here: https://cmhahkpr.ca/education-training/