Answer:
1. Understand their triggers and how they react to them.
Do not de-legitimize their reactions by saying they are “drama queens” or that they’re overreacting to a situation. Their experiences are valid. Don’t compare their experiences to someone else’s experiences or your own. By understanding what their triggers are — whether it be a person, place or thing – you can help them avoid those triggers.
2. Make them a nice home-cooked meal.
Cooking and eating healthy meals can be hard if you’re running on empty. Oftentimes, when I’m not feeling so well, I tend to eat a lot of take-out or not much at all. Offering to cook a meal can help your loved one focus on other tasks needed to move forward with their lives. You can offer to make it with them as a social experience or alternatively, bring them some of your own leftovers.
3. Offer to help clean their home.
Wash some dishes, do a load of laundry, take out their garbage and recycling, water their plants or clean their bathroom for them. Tiny acts of kindness go a long way when your mental or physical health has you drained.
4. Encourage them to get out of the house.
Go on a walk around the block with them, take a leisurely bike ride, go roller skating, go to the gym, take a yoga class together or better yet, put on a cheesy workout track and dance around the house for a few minutes.
5. Help them run errands.
Getting out of the house with mobility issues or even mental health issues can be overwhelming and stressful. Sometimes, having someone to run errands with helps ease the anxiety that comes with the hustle and bustle of the busy world. It can also help keep them on track, especially when brain fog or memory issues are a concern.
