Relationships & Mental Health

Maintaining a relationship takes a lot of time, patience, and understanding. There are struggles in understanding your partner and mental health issues make it more difficult to understand them. Whether you are dating or in a committed relationship, mental health matters to both partners. When one partner is feeling terrible about themselves, the other partner suffers more with them. Other times, a partner may feel disconnected making the other partner concerned. 

Not all relationships with mental health issues have complications in their relationships. Keep in mind that you can have a healthy relationship with someone who is struggling with mental health. It does take courage for your partner to discuss his or her mental health struggles, but it is vital to listen to your partner. There are times when your partner will vanish on you, feel distant, and not ready to discuss with you his or her problems. Realize that this is not your fault and that there are things that he or she has to deal with on their own.

You may feel the need to help him or her with their mental health issues but they may not be open to receiving your help. If for some reason, your partner appears and disappears from your life, it is best to move on from this type of relationship. Ghosting makes you emotionally hurt and makes you lose your trust in them. He or she might apologize for ghosting, stonewalling, benching, or other complications that were dealt with within the relationship. Yet, you must think about your mental health when it comes to having a relationship with someone.

Often there is the desire to focus more on your partner’s mental health than yours. It is a valuable trait to have but most times your partner may take you for granted. If your partner does not appreciate you, makes you feel more insecure, and makes you feel worse about yourself; It is best to move on to a better and healthier relationship. Everything your partner does affects your mental health and theirs. Therefore, here is a brief list of what you can do to take care of your mental health while you are in a relationship.

1. Have honest and open communication with your partner if you have a mental health issue such as depression, anxiety, or other mood disorders.
2. If you feel the need to physically distance yourself from your partner, let them know your reasons for doing this so they will not feel awful about themselves.
3. If you need to distance yourself from your partner by not communicating with them, let them know ahead of time so they do not worry.
4. Distinguish between depressive comments and comments about themselves when they are communicating with you on the cell phone or through text messaging.
5. Do not let their bad mood affect your mood.
6. Practice meditation, and self-care, and take time to get to know yourself before you get to know your partner.
7. Give support to your partner and educate yourself about their mental health matter.
8. Give yourself some time to relax and keep your mind busy.
9. If your partner ghosts you, accept it and realize that it is his or her decision to do that to you.
10. Do not be influenced by your partner’s pessimistic attitude and have respect for yourself.

If you tried everything to understand your partner, it may be worth just being friends with them and not continuing to be in a relationship with them. However, if they vanished from you for more than a year, you must move on and accept it. Remember that it was their choice to end your friendship and not your choice. You cannot change your partner’s attitude, behavior, or unhealthy habits especially if they are not willing to change for you. Regardless of the circumstances, take care of your mental health when you are in a relationship.

Everyone struggles with mental health differently. Some may view mental health as a pessimistic standard. Others view mental health as another stepping stone but are willing to understand their partner. When one or both partners are dealing with mental health, you must surrender your personal beliefs and keep an open mind. Here are more resources about mental health and relationships. 

How Do You Cope with Being Ghosted-Top 11 Tips from Experts-Psychology Writing:

How Do You Cope with Being Ghosted? Top 11 Tips from Experts (psychologywriting.com)

How to Take Care of Your Mental Health in a Relationship-Every Girl:

How to Take Care of Your Mental Health in a Relationship | The Everygirl

How to Support a Partner with Mental Illness-According to a Therapist-Shape:

How to Support a Partner with Mental Illness, According to a Therapist (shape.com)

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