You’re dating someone, and everything seems so great in the beginning. You’re both happy. You get along fantastically, although, of course, you will inevitably find yourselves in arguments. But, at the end of the day, you have one another.

But then, somewhere along the way, you find that your partner seems different. More withdrawn. They seem to be irritable more frequently. And you can’t help but notice they aren’t enjoying the same hobbies they once did.

When you notice changes like this in your partner, it’s a real possibility that they are experiencing depression. Or maybe you know for sure that they are because they were diagnosed with it.

Depression has a way of creeping into our lives and changing everything, including our relationships. Watching someone you love or care deeply for battle depression is heartbreaking. You don’t want to say the wrong thing, and you don’t know what is right.

If you are dating someone with depression, here are some tips to help.

Dating Someone With Depression

1. Don’t Blame Yourself or Them

Know that depression isn’t anyone’s fault. Someone dealing with it does not ask to feel the way they do. And nobody else can truly cause someone to develop depression by interacting with them.

2. Education

An important part for you to understand is what exactly depression is. If you aren’t sure if your partner has depression, you can go to various blog posts on my site as well as my depression treatment page. Both will give you invaluable information to help you understand what depression is and how it impacts your partner.

3. Show Support

This might seem obvious to do, but sometimes we don’t know how to show support. It’s common for people to think that showing support means you are trying to fix the issue. As much as we want to be able to fix what our partners are going through, some things we don’t have much control over.

Show support by letting them know you are there if they want to talk. And then don’t push them if they don’t want to. You can remind them every once in a while that you are there, but ultimately, it’s up to them to open up.

Encourage them to keep up with healthy eating habits. Help them by meal prepping with them for the week so they’ll have healthy options. Depression can cause someone not to want to eat healthily or eat at all, so you can take care of both of these things at once.

Exercise is a great way to boost serotonin levels in the body. Serotonin is a hormone responsible for promoting feelings of happiness. Suggest going on short walks together or long walks on the weekend.

Spend time doing other activities that you like, such as watching movies together.

4. Take Care Of Yourself, Too

Relationships are not 50/50 like a lot of people think. The truth is, there will be times when they put 60% in, and you can only give 40%. When your partner is dealing with depression, you will likely need to give more than you take. Nothing is wrong with that, either.

But remember that your mental health is important, too. You can’t pour from an empty cup. Make sure you are doing self-care practices that help you feel happy and relaxed.

5. Encourage Them To Seek Support

Dealing with depression is one of the hardest things you can go through. It has a terrible way of impacting every area of your life.

The most important part of helping your partner with their depression is to encourage them to seek support. Depression rarely goes away on its own, which is why therapy is so important for managing depression. Reach out for more information about depression treatment and how it can help.