All questions and advise are formulated with care and in collaboration with Youth Mental Health Norway.
Where do you feel the safest?
As part of taking care of your mental health it can be useful to think through where you feel the most safe. When we are in a crisis we might not remember what our safe space is. So write down for yourself where you feel the most safe, so you know where to go once a crisis in life occurs. If you can’t feel safe anywhere – do you have a person that you feel safe with?
What do you think is the most important thing to do if you think someone is struggling with their mental health?
Being a supportive person for someone you love can be tiring, and especially when it goes on for a long time. In order to be a good support for people around you, you need to take care of your own mental health along the process. This might feel selfish, but remember that you can’t help anyone if you are not feeling ok yourself.
How do you listen to your friend when they are struggling?
You can’t guess what other people need when they are struggling. Therefore, you need to ask open questions that help your friend put into words what they need from you.
It is a natural responds to go directly into action mode to help and suggest solutions, but first it is very important to be there and really listen to the person struggling with their mental health.
What calms you down?
When life hits you it is useful to have a list of activities that calms you down. Then, when something happens, you can take a look at your list and see what you can do yourself to feel better in the moment. For example, take a bath, watch a movie or go for a walk.
Do you ever think about killing yourself?
That’s a really direct question, and it might have felt shocking to read it. A usual misunderstanding is that you can give people the idea of suicide if you ask them about it directly. This is incorrect. In fact, the only way to know if someone is having suicidal thoughts is by asking them about it directly. This is not harmful in itself, but on the contrary shows the person that they can talk to you about it.
IMPORTANT
If you need professional help. Please go to Befrienders, our partners website. Their members and volunteers around the world provide confidential support to people in emotional crisis or distress, or those close to them.
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