Loving People Well

• Avoid judging those who come to you for help. Grace provides a context where vulnerability is safe and seen as a strength, not weakness.
  
  
• A good friend will focus on people not projects. Have a heart to help, not to fix.
  
  
• Seek to be a friend to someone living with a mental illness – a phone call, lunch or email can bolster their mood. Don’t be afraid to start a conversation with them about how they manage their illness or any suicidal thoughts. If you are worried about them refer them to New Mexico Crisis and Access Line.
  
  
• Always inject hope into the lives of others, focusing on the future, not the past.
  
  
• Remember your role is as a friend, not a therapist.
  
  
• The weight of change is on the person. You cannot want them to be helped, more than they do. Many mental illnesses are lifelong and recovery and managing it may be part of their lives.
  
  
• There are people you cannot help YET.
  – Those that don’t recognize they are struggling.
  – Those who will not invest in themselves at a greater level than you invest in them.
  
  
• How you work with someone is more important than the information you give them.
  
  
• Listen carefully and actively. Make eye contact.
  
  
• Validate their emotions.
  
  
• Establish healthy boundaries with those you are helping.
  
  
• It’s okay to say, “ I don’t know, let’s find someone who does.”
  
  
• Take care of YOU!