SUPER EASY WAYS TO BE A MENTAL HEALTH ALLY:

(accidental thread)

When someone tells you that they’re struggling, thank them for telling you and giving you the opportunity to support them.

When someone communicates their limits or boundaries, thank them for telling you so you have the opportunity to accommodate them.

Start reframing anytime anyone has an honest, potentially vulnerable conversation with you about their mental health as an opportunity, not a burden.

(Of course I started a thread in the middle of Twitter crashing. Of course.)

The more positive reinforcement surrounding these conversations, & the more we express gratitude for people communicating what they’re going through, the better. It obliterates shame & gives anxious people an “evidence based” case study for why they should cont. to talk about it.

Every time I get a phone call or email from someone with a dam burst of emotion, I thank them. When people cancel on me or can’t follow through on obligations bc of their mental health, I thank them.

And when it’s my turn, because I also struggle with mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and CPTSD - I remember who made me feel like a burden, because they were inconvenienced, and who supported me.

End thread. (I think.)