By now, I am certain you have a list of people either written down or in your head. Keep that list close as your read through this post. You may find that some of those people need to be crossed off, quickly.
We have explored and answered the following questions:
Now we need to walk through all the people you have in mind and truly determine which of those people you trust. I don’t mean trust to water your plants or walk your dog, but who can you trust with your life. We all know that a mental health crisis can become a life or death situation if you don’t have the right support system, disaster plan, or proper preventative care.
Why is trust so important?
- The person or people you choose need to be the type of person (people) you can share confidential information with. Ask yourself, is this someone you wouldn’t mind sitting in on your counseling sessions or handling your personal finances?
- This person may have to carry out or communicate your wishes in the event you are unable to for any reason do it for yourself. Do you believe this person can effectively communicate on your behalf?
- You could potentially have to rely on this person or group of people for help for an extended period of time. Would you give this person access to your home or vehicle? Do you trust them to prepare or pick up meals for you? Would you mind them helping you with your medications if necessary? Do you believe that in an emergency, this person would be there for you?
- You will need to be 100% honest with this person regarding the state of your mental health at all times.
It is unlikely that you would develop this kind of trust in someone overnight. While the amount of time you have known someone doesn’t matter when it come to trusting them, be sure you know this person just as well as they will get to know you. This part of the process can take time, and is best done when you are of “sound” mind. Latching on to new people during a crisis and relying on their help can prove to be disappointing if they are not the right person. Do you know anyone like this? How many people are on that list you are creating in your head? Have any of those people you initially had been crossed off?
Only you can decide how much you trust someone and what criteria they need to meet for you to trust them more or less than you do. There isn’t a lot of guidance that can be offered in regard to trust. You have to trust your own instincts on this. If someone, no matter who it is, doesn’t make you feel comfortable about their being apart of your plan, trust that feeling and move on to the next person on your list. You don’t need to conduct interviews, but be thoughtful and most of all prayerful about the people on your list.
Once again, the person or people you choose, must be someone or a group of people you can rely on, and trust with your life.
