Discuss mental health issues with your partner can feel daunting, maybe a little scary,, but it’s a crucial step towards maintaining a healthy and supportive relationship. Whether you’re dealing with anxiety, depression, stress, or any other mental health concern, sharing your experience with your partner can foster understanding, trust, and deeper connection.
Making discussion around mental health struggles a norm in your relationship can also help ease any anxiety or stress that might exist overall, thus helping to assist your experience in the world. Here’s a personalized guide to help you navigate this important conversation.
1. Choose the Right Time and Place
Timing is everything when it comes to discussing sensitive topics. Find a quiet, private space where you both feel comfortable and safe. Avoid bringing it up during an argument or when your partner is stressed or preoccupied. Instead, choose a moment when you’re both relaxed and open to having a deep conversation.
If the conversation becomes too overwhelming for either of you, remember that you can always come back to the discussion or have it in another location that feels better. An alternate place you might want to consider is taking a walk outside with your partner in a quiet and less populated area for some form of privacy.
When talking about hard topics, stress levels usually increase, thus stopping the brain from maintaining how it usually functions without stress. Walking stimulates both sides of the brain to function again and can ease any discomfort. Getting fresh air can also help open physical airways for those who might feel breathless during hard conversations.
2. Be Honest and Clear
Be honest about what you’re experiencing. Use “I” statements to express your feelings without placing blame. For example, you could say, “I’ve been feeling really overwhelmed lately and I think it’s affecting my mental health.” Being clear and direct helps your partner understand the seriousness of the situation without feeling attacked or defensive. Including some of the moments in your relationship that has contributed to your mental health struggles is something that people often ask about in therapy.
While the answer is different for everyone, you might want to first reflect on how you’d like to talk about these moments to your partner, what would be the purpose, and can they be mentioned during a follow-up conversation after there’s more understanding from your partner about your overall feelings and symptoms.
3. Explain How It Affects You
As you are continuously utilizing “I” statements, helping your partner see how your mental health struggles impact you is important. This is especially important to minimize your partner feeling blamed and to increase empathy and understanding from your partner about this part of yourself that you are struggling with at the moment.
Some people might withdraw emotionally in their relationship, while others might have less energy to do things they would normally do with their partner, like going out on dates. Mood swings might be a factor as well. Sometimes, the effects come from outside your relationship, such as not wanting to go around other people or family members.
Explaining these aspects to your partner is just as important. After an explanation and insight, it’s easier for some partners to decide how they can best assist or help their partner when they are having a challenging moment.
4. Encourage Open Dialogue
If you are ready and feel at ease after revealing some very vulnerable and tough information, invite your partner to share their thoughts and feelings as well. Ask them how they perceive your behaviour and if they’ve noticed any changes. This can lead to a more balanced conversation where both of you feel heard and understood. It also opens the door for them to express any concerns or confusion they may have, ask any follow-up questions, or provide a piece of insight that might help you overcome what you are struggling with.
5. Discuss How They Can Support You
Let your partner know how they can help and be open to this option, especially if you tend to push away help that others might offer. Examples of help might include your partner offering emotional support, being patient during tough times, or helping you seek professional help.
Sometimes, the help just might be something simple, such as hugging you when you’re feeling down and emotionally stressed. No matter what you ask for, giving your partner specific ways to support you can make them feel more involved and empowered in your healing process.
6. Be Prepared for the Less Ideal Reaction
Your partner’s initial reaction may not be what you expect. They might feel worried, confused, or even helpless. It’s important to give them time to process the information. Encourage them to ask questions and remind them that it’s okay not to have all the answers right away.
As all of this is occurring, it’s important to remember that your partner’s non-ideal reaction is likely not about you. There is likely a chance that other factors could have influenced their reaction to details and information that is difficult to digest. For example, many people might “freak out” or become extremely worried if they feel their world will be greatly impacted.
This might be because they’ve had past negative experiences of information greatly impacting their world. Giving them time and space to think about new information is ideal for them to re-organize themselves and come back to you for acceptance and problem-solving.
7. Seek Professional Help Together
If you feel comfortable, consider involving your partner in your mental health journey. Attending couples therapy sessions together, such as couples counselling, or discussing your treatment plan can help them better understand what you’re going through and how they can support you.
It also reinforces the idea that mental health is a shared responsibility in your relationship. In other words, having positive mental health is something that both people in a partnership can assist each other with when it is a balanced approach.
8. Reassure Them of Your Commitment
Finally, reassuring your partner that you’re committed to working through your mental health struggles can help ease any worry or fear within the relationship. Letting them know that their support means a lot to you and that you’re willing to put in the effort to maintain a healthy mind and relationship despite the challenges.
Conclusion
Talking about mental health with your partner can be a powerful way to strengthen your bond and foster a supportive environment. By being honest, open, and empathetic, you can navigate this conversation with care and compassion.
Remember, you don’t have to go through this alone—your partner can be a vital source of support and strength as you work through your mental health journey together.
One Response