Jack.org

"During my undergraduate degree, a professor introduced me to a concept that genuinely shifted how I show up for the people I love. She explained that accommodating the symptoms of someone's mental illness, which means doing whatever they ask to keep the peace or avoid discomfort, can actually work against their recovery. For me, that landed hard. I had always believed that being a good support person meant doing everything in my power to give those I cared about what they asked for in difficult moments.

What I came to understand is that sometimes the most loving thing you can do is gently push someone forward rather than help them stay in the same place. That means having the uncomfortable conversations, the ones that feel hard, that might create tension, that might even strain the relationship for a while. That discomfort is not a sign that you have done something wrong. More often than not, it is a sign that something important is happening. The strain comes before the growth, and that is okay.

This realization changed not only how I support others, but how I think about mental health more broadly. That real care is not always comfortable, and that one honest conversation can matter more than a hundred easier ones."

-- Ashlinn Pennell, Jack.org Youth Voice Council

***

This Mental Health Month, we're shining a light on the conversations that change lives. Because one moment of connection can make all the difference for someone struggling. Help make more conversations like this possible by donating at https://www.jack.org/campaigns/annual-giving.