Winter can be a time filled with joy and celebration for many people, but it can also be a very difficult time for others who, for one reason or another, struggle with the holiday season. The short days and bad weather often make a bad combination when it comes to people’s well- being which makes the winter season an important time to be there for your loved ones.
To help you to provide the proper and needed support to your family members, partner, and friends, this guide will equip you with the essential information to ensure that you are on the right track and able to offer care and compassion to those who you care about the most.
Making the effort
To begin with, the first thing that you need to do is find ways to make time for people. This initially sounds a little too basic to be meaningful advice, but it is all too easy for weeks to elapse between contacting those who you care about because of work and daily responsibilities.
A good way to start changing this is to set a reminder on your phone calendar or on your email to give someone you care about a text every few days, as this will increase the contact and let that person know that you truly care for them.
The other benefits of frequent contact are that it makes it easier to start spotting the signs of struggle in your loved ones so that you can help them to confront any emotional or problematic behavioral difficulties early on.
For example, if you observe a change in a friend’s emotional state (such as sudden irritability or anger), a drop in their personal hygiene, or a withdrawal from social interaction, then you need to go and find a way to get them to talk to you so that you can offer support.
Going the extra mile
Sometimes, a friend or family member is going to need infinitely more support than you will be able to give, so you also need to recognize the signs that your friend needs more help. If you are one of the only people that your friend or family member feels that they can open up to, then that will put a big emotional burden on to your shoulders, and you need to remember that you can only help someone else if you are in a stable and ready mindset.
If the person you care about turns out to be dealing with a big issue, such as addiction, it is vital that you get them to talk to professionals, such as those at Epiphany Sober Living, and enroll in a program to help them get better.
The sober living homes and addiction recovery housing will give the person you care about most the tools and network of support to get through this difficult stage in their life and make a meaningful change going forward. However, remember never to neglect your own health and well being.
