Active listening is key-this means no scrolling or watching TV while a friend is opening up to you.ĭuring the conversation, you can also validate a friend’s feelings by saying something like “I can see why you’d feel that way” or “what you’re feeling is valid.” Afterwards, thank them for sharing with you to show that you’re taking their emotions seriously and are genuinely interested in what they have to say. Instead, hold space for what they’re experiencing by listening to their feelings without criticizing or rushing to offer your opinion. So if a friend shares that they’re having a hard time, try not to play therapist or solve their problem. When talking to someone about mental health, it isn’t always easy being vulnerable. Some might be receptive to open-ended questions, while other folks may respond better to being directly asked, ‘How’s your mental health these days?’ or ‘Do you need anything?’Īnd if a friend doesn’t want to talk, you can also be sure to let them know that you’re there for them if they change their mind. Mental health check-ins don’t have to feel formal or serious, and you may want to differ your approach based on which friend you’re speaking with. Rayna Smaller, social worker and founder of Brown Girl Space, suggests prompts like, “How’s your mood?” or “Are you finding reasons to smile throughout the day?” It’s an easy way to let a friend share how they’ve been doing.Ĭhange your approach based on your friend “Try ‘Tell me how you’re feeling lately,’ or ‘What’s been on your mind’,” suggests Bronx-based social worker Kendra Cabrera. Swap out the standard, “how are you?,” for an open-ended question that gives your friend more room to elaborate on how they’re feeling. You can turn a chat with a friend into a mental health check-in by simply changing the way you start the convo. It doesn’t matter if you reach out via a call, text, social media, or in person-asking how a friend has been doing will let them know they’re loved.Īnd because friend check-ins might be a new thing for some of us, Bumble asked mental health experts for advice on how to start the conversation and create a safe space where you can speak with friends about mental health. One way to make things easier on our friends right now is by checking in on them and asking about their mental health. What makes it even harder to fight off loneliness and anxiety right now is that many of us are isolated from our friends, who provide an important support system that we all could use during these stressful times. Of the many ways that the coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted daily lives, one of the biggest is the toll it’s taking on mental health.
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