Depression is thought to be the second leading cause of disability worldwide, according to the Mental Health Foundation. Anyone who has suffered with a mental health issue, or has been in a relationship with someone who has, knows how crippling it can be.
Reddit user bovadeez shared a post on the subreddit r/GetMotivated where he described how tough his girlfriend's depression and anxiety could be. What made hundreds of people respond, though, was his creative way of helping her and showing her how important she is to him.
He posted a photo of a glass jar full of lolly sticks. At a first glance it doesn't look like much, but the lolly sticks are colour-coded and have things written on them to make his girlfriend happy. For example, there are motivational quotes, memories, and also a set of blank sticks where she can write things that make her happy when she thinks of them.
"Each 'category' is color coded so for example orange are inspirational quotes from poets, political figures, philosophers, and humanitarians across time," bovadeez wrote in the comments.
"Yellow reminders are positive words to help you through the day things like 'you're beautiful' and 'it's ok to ask for help' the purple ones are tips to help her relax things like 'take a break' while she's working on her master's or 'listen to your favorite song.' I put a fine tipped sharpie in there with the blank ones so she record moments when she's the happiest and then she can pull one of those later when she needs it."
Reddit users praised bovadeez for the gesture, saying how sweet and thoughtful it was, and how they wanted a boyfriend like him. He wrote in the comments that he doesn't know how much the idea really helps, but he does it to show he cares and wants to try anyway.
"She's very special to me [the] least I can do is try to help," he said.
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