How do I motivate/encourage a depressed person to do something when their own willpower isn't enough?
Force then until they pick up the pace.
>>17332387
them*
>>17332374
Are you the guy who made a post similar to this about their father?
>>17332387
Then they get overwhelmed and give up completely.
>>17332405
Nope.
You have to encourage them to take time to get better. Seems a bit ass backwards but depressed people need their down time. Think of it like a sleepy person - you can make them keep going but they're just going to get sleepier and sleepier. The best way to get them back on their feet is encourage them to go to sleep.
Depression involves a lot of really shitty feelings. Guilt is huge. They know how frustrating they are and that they become a huge useless burden on you and they feel terrible for it. The best thing you can do is remove your expectations of them. Just tell them that you want them to focus on resting up. Make a big nest for them in the bed with all the pillows and just let them be lazy there for a while. People also get emotionally exhausted very easily while the they're depressed, so do quiet, calm activities with them like taking walks, sitting at the park, or going on nice drives with them. When you actually start treating the depression like an illness you start seeing the cycles of depression become shorter and shorter
You can also read up on behavioral therapies for depression. Theyve made a huge difference in my life.
