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Mental Health and Love: 5 Fantastic Ways To Make Your Bond Stronger

When it comes to mental health and love relationships, we have to be mindful that our relationships can require a little more TLC. Mental health challenges like depression, anxiety, PTSD and ADHD can impact your relationship through symptoms like irritability, forgetfulness, frustration and more. Regardless, love and mental health maintenance can happen side by side.

Mental health and love: tips to make it through

Relationships can be difficult for everyone, but there are ways that you can make it. There are some things it will take to make mental illness and relationships work.

  • Communication- Talk, talk talk. Listen and understand. When mental illness and relationships come together, you have to be able to hear each other. The best relationships happen when partners are able to have fantastic communication. Love relationships and mental health require consistent communication to keep things going This is something that takes a lot of practice. When we are intentional about communication, it can dramatically improve the quality of our relationships.
  • Patience – To maintain your mental health and love, we need patience. Sometimes symptoms can be frustrating for our partners. For us, the lack of understanding from our partners can be equally frustrating. Being patient with each other and remaining on the same team rather than branching off into separate sides is really important.
  • Education- Learning more about the conditions you each face and what that means for each person in the relationship is really important. You can make love last if you have solid mental health education. Take the time to read up about the symptoms, behaviors, treatment, and trouble that you or your partner may face.

Maintain connection

Relationships are all about the connection in the first place. We are seeking out someone who we can be with and feel loved by. An important part of maintaining your mental health and love is knowing how to work to strengthen your bond. Learning what makes a person feel closer to you takes some communication, and it is not an overnight process. When you’ve been living with a mental illness, you learn love doesn’t always go smoothly. Give your partner time to connect with you.

Identify the trouble spots

Relationships can be fantastic, but every relationship has its challenges. It can really put a strain on love and mental health when those challenges get out of control. In relationships with people who are working to maintain their mental health, there are a few trouble spots that you can encounter. If you are able to take a look at those trouble spots, you’ll be able to hop over them and keep the relationship going strong.

Mental health and love protip: make sure your partner feels safe

When you’re in a relationship, it is really important to make sure that your partner feels protected. Nobody wants to be in a relationship with someone who they feel won’t have their back. Fearing your partner may abandon or abuse you can be another challenge. Do the extra work to reassure your partner but also recognize that some of this could require some inner work on their part as well.

Handle your fear of rejection

Sometimes in relationships, things just don’t work out, or people disappear without a word. Occasionally relationships hit a point where people aren’t sure if they can stay together. All of those things can create a fear of rejection in us. Those fears can be projected onto the relationship and make the relationships more complicated. Working to learn to cope with our fear of rejection can pay off majorly for our relationships!

Focus on the good in your relationship to enhance mental health and love

Relationships are work, sure, but it is supposed to be fun too! You have to focus on the positive in your relationships to continue to enjoy them. What do you really love about your partner? Do they have amazing insight? Is there a geeky hobby that you both enjoy? Are you into the same cuisine? All of those are points in the relationship to focus on. The problems? Don’t let those be your primary concern.

We are made to love

Human beings are made for connection. We love love, and being in love. Being in a relationship where we are fulfilled and understood is so important. Relationships can be a phenomenal source of support.

If you are wondering if mental health and relationships can coexist, the answer is a definite resounding yes. I wish you much luck in love and in life.

Until next time,

René

For more ADHD resources, please visit CHADD (children and adults with ADD)

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