One of the most frequently asked questions I have from Run Talk Run leaders -
“Can I help someone else if I am in a bad place myself?”
Of course the answer to this is “it depends”. I always advise Run Talk Run leaders that they need to make sure they are looking after themselves first as a priority. If that means they need to cancel a RTR to do that, then it’s important that they honor their own brains and mental health enough to do so.
In many cases, however, supporting other people can be flipping incredible when we’re in a shit place ourselves for multiple reasons:
- doing something good for others can make us feel better. Selfish? Yep, but it’s a win win all round
- it can help us break out of our own spiral of negative thoughts if we are forced to listen to someone else for a little while
- support goes both ways – you may feel that through connecting with someone who is experiencing a tough time makes you feel equally supported in return
- perspective – a horrible one to point out, but quite frequently when listening to someone share their struggle with me, I am reminded of how very very resilient us humans are and that in itself gives me the strength to pull through my own shit
So yes, look after yourself as a PRIORITY, but don’t be concerned that your own struggles render you useless to others. They often make you more empathetic, and supporting someone else could help you support yourself simultaneously.