The Greatest Gifts You Can Give Your Friend With Mental Illness
Chances are you will have one friend with some type of mental illness in your lifetime. In the United States alone, over 46 million people lived with a mental health diagnosis in 2017. This is 18.9% of the U.S. population or almost 1 in 5 people.
Living with a mental illness can be difficult. There are mood and behavioral changes accompanied by them. And we get that it is hard for our family members and friends to cope with our disorders. But like any average person, we just want to be loved and cared for.
Often, I have friends that will ask me what they can do for me when it comes to my mental illness. These are a few gifts that I highly appreciate from my friends (and family) when it comes to helping me through my mental illness:
Reciprocity
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines reciprocity as “the quality of state of being reciprocal: mutual dependence, action, or influence.”
My mental illness makes me often take more than I receive from others. I hang onto people because I know it's difficult.
Unfortunately, this is not good for my health. It is something that took years to learn.
One of the greatest gifts I look for in friends is reciprocity. I have gained a great appreciation for people who take my needs into consideration as much as I take in their needs. I understand that my needs are complex sometimes, but knowing there are many great people out there who reciprocate makes my heart happy.
Empathy
To me, empathy and reciprocity go hand-in-hand.
I am a highly empathetic person and because of my mental illness, I have trouble establishing boundaries.
There are so many unempathetic people in this world that it is a treasure when I find someone willing to empathize with me. It brings me great comfort and makes me feel more stable as a person.
Space
The biggest gift that I need is SPACE.
So many people without mental illness do not understand this concept. They get offended that you need time apart from them.
I learned these aren’t my real friends. Those who are true to me give me all the space in the world without getting mad at me. Our relationship doesn’t wane when we are apart, even if its for months.
Friends who give me these gifts are gifts in themselves. They’re all I’ll ever accept from a friend. No one else is worth the energy.
Mental illness is exhausting; having people who don’t understand can exasperate the illness a million times more.
