my partner is at the begining of a depression, how can I help him?

Hi I am new here, I would like some advice of the best way to support my partner. On monday he had a sort of breakdown. Freaked out about his life and how it is going or not going. He has gone to stay at his parents for a while to sort his thoughts out. any advice would be great. Thanks:)

Welcome Donwa.

I guess, be there for him. Don't put too much pressure on him. Be a shoulder to lean on and a listening ear. Show him this site.

Has he suffered from depression before?

I dont envy you as it cant be easy being the partner of someone with depression, and we are all different in what works and does work.

The main thing is be there for him. Is there anything you can do to take any pressure off? Try not to freak out too much if he wants space for a little bit.

Have a read through the threads on here, hopefully we can help in some small way.

Thank you, It is nice to know I am not alone, I have lots of support from family and friends, but it is hard for them to understand what happened.
As far as i know this is the first time.
We are working slowly, today we planted the vege garden together, made him smile, was nice to see.

Awesome. Trust me it can be the littlest things that make a difference. The vege garden would have been a good thing.

Keep trying to get him doing little things like that when possible.

As far as the him getting help thing, sometimes it takes an outsider to prompt them to do it. Dont put too much pressure on him about it.

And don't forget to make the time to look after yourself too, you owe it to yourself, and you will be more help to him if you are happy with you lot.

thanks lonely girl, It is good to know that i am making a difference with him by getting him to do little things. i have even encouraged him to help me with cooking dinner, even if it is chopping veges, makes him feel needed. I know he loves me still which I think makes it easier, but hard to concentrate on normal things.
Look forward to reading more interesting topics on this awesome site.

yep, sounds like you are on the right track.

It will take time, but he can get better again. Good on you for being so supportive. I hope he has a look in here too. Everyone is welcome here.

Welcome and thanks for joining us.

It sounds like you are well and truely on the right track and should be proud of how you are approaching your partners health and what it may mean to your relationship.

I agree with every thing thats already been posted here, but can I just repeat part of whats already been said and which I think, is the most important of all?

"... don't forget to make the time to look after yourself too, you owe it to yourself,..."

You are going to need to be nice and understanding to you, too. Treat yourself to a little something every once in a while - cos you will have earned it.

Good luck to you both and Thanks again for finding us and joining in. It would be good if your partner maybe had a look at some of the messages here when he feels able to - you guys aren't alone, there is support so grab it if its needed.

Take care,
Pat.

thanks pat, it is nice to know i have support if i need it. And yes I will be taking some time for me too.