Watch the video clip and fill in the missing words: How to Help Someone with Depression.MP4 How to Help Someone with Depression How to help someone with depression? If you have a partner or friend who struggles with depression, you may not always know how to show them you love them. One day they may seem fine, the next they're sad, distant and may push you away. It is important you know that as their close trusted friend, you can help them have shorter, less of your bouts of depression. Mental illness is as real as physical illness and your friends need you when they're depressed as much as they need you when they have the flu. Having people there to support and care for you while going through such a tough illness means a lot to those suffering from depression, more than you could ever imagine. And although depression can be one-sided at times, by helping your friend through a very difficult and painful affliction, you're 1) ______________ their mental health in the long term. Here are some ways to care for a loved one dealing with depression. 1. Help them with their 2) ______________ . When someone is suffering from depression, they may feel like they're 3) ______________ while the world around them is 4) ______________ rapidly. By helping them with their 5) ______________ , 6) ______________ their mail, taking care of their phone calls or cleaning their dishes, you're taking a huge weight off their shoulders because otherwise they will feel 7) ______________ . Your help also gives them a 8) ______________ environment. 2. Take a walk with them. For a depressed person, the benefits of going outside are huge. Being outside allows them to be in the sunshine which increases vitamin D and can help 9) ______________ depression. Being barefoot in the dirt helps ground the body and 10) ______________ the effects of living in a world of EMS. And digging in soil can actually act as an antidepressant since there's a strain of bacterium in soil that 11) ______________ of serotonin which 12) ______________ mood and decreases 13) ______________ . 3. Encourage them to focus on 14) ______________ . Depressed people often stop taking care of themselves. Showering, getting haircuts, going to the doctor or dentist -- it's all just too hard and they feel like they don't deserve to be well taken care of. Having the encouragement from another helps 15) ______________ . Without others helping them take care of themselves, it will 16) ______________ quickly integrating feelings of 17) ______________ . Being 18) ______________ and telling them things like "I'm going to do the dishes, why don't you enjoy a bubble bath?" gives them the permission they won't give themselves to do something normal, healthy and self-loving. 4. 19) ______________ them. People with depression typically have very 20) ______________ . Help them challenge their feelings of self-loathing by giving them sincere, specific compliments. Being specific is really important, because they are more likely to remember what you said later. One thoughtful, 21) ______________ compliment has more power than 10 careless comments that feel like 22) ______________ . Put your heart into what you say. 5. Ask them to help you understand what they're feeling. If your friend is able to 23) ______________ what they're going through, it will help both of you better understand what they're dealing with and may 24) ______________ a plan of action for recovery. Feeling alone is common for a depressed person and anything that combats that feeling will help alleviate the 25) ______________ and length of depression. Having someone to talk to you about how they feel makes them realize they're not as alone as they think they are and that others actually care for them. Do you have helpful tips on caring for someone with depression? Share your thoughts in the comments below. If you like this video, check out our other social media for more content and don't forget to subscribe. Thanks for watching.