I am in no way a mental health expert. I took two psychology classes before deciding that the major wasn't for me and I have read lots of informative articles on the subject, but that is about as far as my knowledge goes. I have also never personally experienced a mental illness so I completely lack that perspective.
Even without any of that experience, here is what I absolutely know: it makes a difference when you care. When you ask someone how they're doing, when you send an encouraging text and when you invite a person you know is struggling out to dinner just to talk. Every little thing you decide to do or say to your friend or even a stranger who may be grappling with mental illness matters.
It also matters what you don't say. When you decide you're too busy to ask them out to dinner or you let time get away from you and don't send that text. Maybe you see a stranger visibly upset and want to say something but you're too nervous about how the exchange might go. I have been in those shoes several times and I always regret not saying something afterwards. I wonder what would've happened if I had just spoken up.
Maybe you find yourself forgetting to check on your friends. It's easy to ask "how are you?" but much harder to really listen for the answer. The fear of seeming too dramatic may keep you from letting someone know that you really do care. I completely know what it's like to feel too busy to focus on anything but your own daily problems.
I am not an expert and I hold no degrees, but what I do hold is the ability to make someone know that they matter. Why shouldn't I be intentional and use it? Don't let yourself forget to send that text. Don't let yourself be too nervous to talk to an upset stranger. Don't take a rain check on your dinner dates. Don't stop listening. Smile at someone you don't even know. Do something nice for someone behind you in the Starbucks line. Make sure your friends know that what happens to them matters to you.
According to the ASFP, there are about 43,000 Americans who take their own lives each year. I don't have all of the answers and I'm not sure that a smile and a conversation could have prevented all of that tragedy. But if it could've stopped even one, isn't it worth it?
Even if we aren't battling a mental illness, we all have bad days. I doubt that anyone hasn't had a day in their life where they wake up feeling like they don't matter. What I also know is that one person's compliment can turn an entire day around. We all know that we have the power to encourage and strengthen others, sometimes we just need a reminder to do it. Here's your reminder.
