Advice for advice givers

Well, I recently had the stomach flu. With a low grade fever and generally feeling rather miserable, though in a different way than mental illness. Thankfully, it didn't last long. But it reminded me of depression in how I just felt very yucky in a very concentrated way.

So anyway, from that experience came my advice for people wanting to give spiritual advice to people struggling hard with depression and/or anxiety. Here it is, straight from where I shared it on Facebook (not so sure how good an idea it was to put it on Facebook, but maybe I'll find out):
It is Mental Illness Awareness Week. So for today, let me share advice for advice-givers. If you want to give advice to someone really struggling with depression or anxiety, run it through the stomach flu test. If this is something you would like someone to tell you while you try not to puke, it is probably fine to share. On the other hand, if you wouldn't like being told to read your Bible more, pray more, and for goodness sakes, trust God more while you are trying not to puke, then don't say that to someone struggling hard with depression or anxiety. "Let me know how I can help" or "hang in there; I'm rooting for you" or even "I'm praying for you; God cares about you right now and so do I..." that is probably okay.

Comments

  1. AnnOctober 9, 2013 at 1:04 PM

    The stomach flu test. I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. 71ยบ & SunnyOctober 10, 2013 at 11:00 PM

    Oh wow, this is brilliant, Abigail!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousOctober 14, 2013 at 8:41 AM

    Excellent advice for advice-givers. Well done, I love it!

    ReplyDelete

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