Breaking the Stigma Surrounding Mental Health
Talking about mental health can be challenging, but it is essential for fostering understanding, reducing stigma, and providing support. Depending on your upbringing, culture, or environment you’re currently in, talking about or bringing up mental health struggles can be a cause of shame and guilt around what you are feeling and experiencing. Whether you’re opening up about your own experiences or supporting someone else, here’s a guide to having meaningful and supportive conversations about mental health.
Before starting a conversation about mental health, the environment needs to be conducive for open and honest communication. Make sure you and the person you are speaking with feel safe about opening up and having the conversation surrounding mental health. It may not need to be a private place, but make sure you are comfortable. Make sure you are respecting their boundaries as well. If they don’t feel safe in a certain area, don’t force them to be there.
When listening to someone bring up their mental health concerns, actively listen to what they share. Focus on what is being said instead of how you can respond or what advice you could give. Maintain eye contact, nod from time to time, and offer verbal affirmation. These are just a few things that let the other person know you are listening to them. Ask open ended questions as this leads to more conversation and more understanding between yourself and the person you are speaking with. This can also help to bring about validation for the individual expressing their concerns. Accepting their experience without judgment can go a long way to supporting the individual.
Avoid saying things that might minimize or dismiss their feelings, such as "It’s not that bad" or "You’ll get over it." These statements can make the person feel unheard and invalidated. Instead, focus on empathy and understanding. They are coming to you because they want to feel heard and acknowledged. They want to know it’s going to be ok and that they have your support. Telling someone to “get over it” or even telling them “that’s hard to believe” minimizes their experience and can cause them to shut down. Many times we do that without thinking about how that will impact them and then go into sharing our own experience as if that will help them see it’s not that bad. But we need to be discerning when sharing our own experiences. It can be helpful for the other person, but sometimes it may not be. Be sure to ask if it’s ok for you to share your experience.
Encouraging professional help is often what is necessary for recovery from mental health issues. But that can take time and follow through. If you are supporting someone through a crisis or concern, being consistent with following through can help the person feel supported and remind them that it may take some time for them to see any change, but being patient and trusting the process will promote growth in the long run.
Talking about mental health is essential for reducing stigma and providing support. It may not be something you are used to doing or were even shown how to do. By creating a safe space, listening actively, validating feelings, and encouraging professional help, you can make a positive impact on someone’s mental health journey. If you, yourself are struggling with mental health issues, these can also be beneficial to you as well. Remember, open and compassionate conversations can foster understanding and healing for both parties involved.