So, You are living with someone who faces challenges that you don't understand, and you struggle to help...

I get it.

I truly do.

I'm on the opposite side of that coin in my personal life.

I struggle with several mental illness diagnosis. I will never hide that from anyone, and I always willing to discuss my journey and what I've learned along the way. I'm an open book... feel free to ask.

My wife, however, is as "normal" as they come. No past trauma. No depression. No anxiety. She struggles to understand how I feel or what I'm thinking. We see the world through much different lenses. She is learning though, that she can't "fix" me and that I can't just "get past things" or just "snap out of it".

Some keys to success for helping your loved ones who struggle...

1. Listen with intent to do just that, Listen. More times than not, we just want someone to talk to so we can personally try to make sense of the hurricane of irrational thoughts in our heads.

2. Be present. Show up. Love us for who we are, not who you wish we were.

3. Understand you can't "fix" us, but you make a huge difference by just not giving up on us and give us a positive in life when we try to fill our days with Maladaptive behaviors such as substance abuse.

4. The final thing, is remembering we aren't always clear on what we need, because we often don't know ourselves.

That's it for now. This is a deep subject, and is one that is very dear to my heart. More to follow as we move forward.

Much Love,

Chuck and the Neuro Harmony Team

Journey on, my Friends.