Getting Support: Reflection Exercise

Reflect on some ways you’d like to be supported when navigating mental health challenges.

Support in navigating mental health challenges can look like a lot of different things. Many people take care of their mental health with things like a meditation or mindfulness practice, professional therapy, and medication. People’s support systems, including friends and family, also play a crucial role in the maintenance of mental health – none of us can do it alone!

Learning to communicate about your mental health is an important part of creating and maintaining healthy relationships with the people in your life and making sure that you receive the kinds of support that make you feel comforted and safe. [link to healthy relationships section].

Here are some forms of care and support that can get you reflecting on what you might want for yourself. Take some time to consider each of these and how they make you feel and imagine yourself talking about one or some of these needs to a trusted person in your life.

1. Sharing with someone about what you’re feeling and having them actively listen (without offering advice)
2. Getting advice, including support in developing a concrete solution to what you’re struggling with
3. Spending quality time (like taking walks or listening to music)
4. Receiving support with everyday tasks, like cooking or getting a meal
5. Getting encouraging text messages
6. Distraction: shifting the focus away from the difficult feelings

If you are not feeling comfortable with the idea of talking to someone you know, there are resources that exist to support you and remind you that you are not alone. Head to the next section to learn about different phone and chat lines you can contact when you’re needing support.