Life involves a lot of overwhelming experiences and a person tries to channel his mind to understand the complexity of his own nature and the experiences outside. During this process, one can fall prey to isolation which might lead to depression, as most of the times we think that it’s only us who thinks or feels a certain way. No matter how different we are in nature from each other, there are always common human grounds that can be found.
Depression may lead to withdrawal from social interaction. When a family member or a friend suffers from depression, one can play a very important role in their recovery. We can always start with making ourselves approachable, but a person who is suffering might detach himself so that they can be left alone in their own suffering , which can contribute to their situation being worsened. In this case, one has to take the initiative and try to untangle the emotional knots through healthy conversations. Sometimes a single conversation is enough to express our concern and the willingness to listen and to do so without any judgment. Anything that is said which comes from a place of compassion and acceptance will surely make a difference.
We might not be able to fully comprehend the intricate mental condition that a sufferer has fallen into but just to provide a listening ear and to assure that one is always there, can prove to be quite enough. And if that is done, a person who is lost in the labyrinth of his own thoughts, will be able to pave his way through slowly and gradually, and later can point out to the problem areas of his life, which will in turn lead to finding appropriate solutions.
In our busy lives, we can always fall to an indifferent state of mind, focusing on our lives and making ourselves content but the real contentment can always be found by making a difference in someone else’s life, and for doing that we need to be emotionally intelligent. Make yourself available to the people around you and always be willing to lend a helping hand, or more so a helping ear as we cannot grasp the enormity of difference that can be made by doing so. Someone around might be just holding onto life by a single thread and by sheer observation and verbal communication we can induce hope back into their lives.
The author Khushbakht Jawaid is a survivor. She is a former teacher, mother of two and a freelance event manager. Her resilience and courage is inspirational.