Given that one in five New Zealanders will face mental health issues during their lives, it's safe to assume that most of us have or will know someone who needs our support at some point. And yet while being a good friend comes quite naturally, helping someone who is suffering from low mood, anxiety or depression isn't always intuitive. Nor is it easy. “We can sometimes feel discomfort around our family and friends' emotional experiences, especially if we think it is our job to fix what they're going through or if we're concerned about saying the wrong thing,” says clinical psychologist Dr Jodie Lowinger, author of The Mind Strength Method. One of the most powerful things you can do, she says, is allow that person to feel your kindness and connection. Here's how to do it...
Q: What are some signs your friend might need professional help?
A: "Look out for increased or high levels of alcohol or drug use, missing appointments or work and family commitments, or isolating themselves and not responding to efforts to reach out to them."
- David Godden, clinical director of The Bay Retreats
Consider yourself
The adage that you must help yourself before you can help others rings true in this situation, says psychologist David Godden, clinical director of The Bay Retreats. “It's normal to have a range of feelings yourself when around a loved one's depression, grief or mental health challenge,” he says. “You might be feeling helpless, angry, worried, frustrated or sad, and being aware of your own feelings is a good first step towards ensuring they don't get in the way of helping a person who is suffering."
Cross the line
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2022-Ausgabe von Australian Women’s Weekly NZ.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2022-Ausgabe von Australian Women’s Weekly NZ.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
PRETTY WOMAN
Dial up the joy with a mood-boosting self-care session done in the privacy of your own home. It’s a blissful way to banish the winter blues.
Hitting a nerve
Regulating the vagus nerve with its links to depression, anxiety, arthritis and diabetes could aid physical and mental wellbeing.
The unseen Rovals
Candid, behind the scenes and neverbefore-seen images of the royal family have been released for a new exhibition.
Great read
In novels and life - there's power in the words left unsaid.
Winter dinner winners
Looking for some thrifty inspiration for weeknight dinners? Try our tasty line-up of budget-concious recipes that are bound to please everyone at the table.
Winter baking with apples and pears
Celebrate the season of apples and pears with these sweet bakes that will keep the cold weather blues away.
The wines and lines mums
Once only associated with glamorous A-listers, cocaine is now prevalent with the soccer-mum set - as likely to be imbibed at a school fundraiser as a nightclub. The Weekly looks inside this illegal, addictive, rising trend.
Former ballerina'sBATTLE with BODY IMAGE
Auckland author Sacha Jones reveals how dancing led her to develop an eating disorder and why she's now on a mission to educate other women.
MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN
When Alexei Navalny died in a brutal Arctic prison, Vladimir Putin thought he had triumphed over his most formidable opponent. Until three courageous women - Alexei's mother, wife and daughter - took up his fight for freedom.
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO START
Responsible for keeping the likes of Jane Fonda and Jamie Lee Curtis in shape, Malin Svensson is on a mission to motivate those in midlife to move more.