Over the past few months, with quarantine and everything going on politically, it has been hard for some people to battle with mental health. For some, the hardest thing was being left to do nothing but sit in their rooms with nothing but their thoughts to occupy them for literally months. Now that quarantine is *mostly* over, we are going through one of the scariest elections probably in most of our lifetimes. With that many people are losing friendships over a vote and are genuinely becoming very anxious about how this will all play out. It is not very hard to be nice, and today it is more important than ever to spread love and not hate, so here are 7 things to do to help someone out.
1. Give a compliment
It is not hard at all to say something nice about someone, no matter how much you might dislike them. Just a compliment about how they are wearing their hair or how they did their makeup or even the clothes they decided to put on. Sometimes people are super self conscious and it could have taken them 5 tries to get the outfit just right, or maybe it took over an hour to do their hair/makeup. A compliment can stay with a person for longer than some might know and it might help someone get through the day.
2. Reach Out
You never know what someone is going through, even if they are smiling from ear to ear. Many people who suffer with mental illness are very good at hiding their true feelings and could be afraid to speak up, so reach out and let someone know that you care. Even if you have not talked to the person in weeks or months, it is always good to reconnect with people just to see how they are.
3. Listen
From personal experience, I know how hard it can be for people with a mental illness to be willing to talk to someone about it. Even if it is not about mental illness, take the time and listen to what someone has to say, maybe they have been dying to tell someone a story about something that happened at work. Or maybe they have been thinking about something that is very important to them, but are afraid to say something to others. Listening is the most basic form of communication, but it can be the most important as most people just want their voices to be heard.
4. Say "I love you" more
I feel like today no one really says these 3 little words anymore. Or I feel like we say it without having any real meaning behind it, like we are almost forced to say it or that it is somewhat of a chore. For some people, it is hard for them to believe they are deserving of someone else's love, which can be a very hard thing for someone to deal with. It is only 3 words, but it holds so much more meaning.
5. Give a hug
I know I know, no hugs during the COVID-19 pandemic, but for this case let's pretend it isn't raging through the country again. As nice as it is to listen to someone, or to reach out, some people just really need a hug and that's that. It is a reassurance that someone cares and empathizes with you and some people just need that physical touch. It can ve really emotional and relieving for someone who holds everything in.
6. Be accepting
It isn't that hard, just accept people for who they are and what they aspire to be. Love everyone unapologetically with no exceptions or whatever twisted reason to not accept someone for who they truly are. It can be very hard for someone to be openly honest about who they are and unaccepting people are, in the nicest way, toxic. No one deserves to be hated to demoralized for wanting to be accepted and loved.
7. Don't be mean
This sounds really cliché but just don't be nasty to people, even if it is said passively or as "constructive criticism". It could be the smallest thing, but you do not know how someone is going to take it, or internalize it and let it eat away at them. You never know how your words can affect another person, so just don't be a problematic person. Remember we learned this in kindergarten; "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all".
It really is not that hard to be nice to people, and you don't know how badly someone might need a little boost of confidence that day. In all seriousness, we all must get through these uncertain times together and spread love not hate, and be nice to everyone you know.
