15 Signs Someone Is Good For Your Mental Health
Keeping someone like this in your life just makes you feel better.
My Ocean Production / Shutterstock We already know how damaging it can be to hang around with someone who is detrimental to your mental health. As a matter of fact, your most meaningful relationships are just as important to having good mental health as self-care. A healthy relationship can greatly benefit your mental health, especially during tough times. Positive social connections can lower instances of mental health issues like anxiety and depression, while heightening your self-esteem, and building your capacity for empathy and trust. And not only are strong relationships important for your mental wellness, but they also benefit your overall health by strengthening your immune system, which might just lengthen your life.
If you’re wondering how a person in your life is good for your mental health, there are signs to look out for.
15 Signs Someone Is Good For Your Mental Health
1. You feel comfortable and safe around them
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There is nothing more important a person can do for you than make you feel safe and secure in their presence. This allows you to be vulnerable and be your true self around them.
Feeling safe is a prerequisite to a great relationship. As Licensed Clinical Social Worker Bob Livingstone stated, "The significance of feeling safe cannot be overstated, as it directly impacts stress responses, influencing overall health and happiness."
2. They respect your personal boundaries
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One of the biggest signs that someone is good for your mental health is that they understand and respect your boundaries. You have mutual respect and are understanding and caring about the way you treat one another.
People who respect your boundaries help you build greater self-esteem, focus on your own well-being, avoid burnout, develop indepenence, among other benefits — all of which are excellent for your mental health.
3. They are honest with you
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People who are good for your mental health are open and honest. They don’t tiptoe around your feelings, but they do speak to you with respect and empathy.
They get to the point and never play “mind games.” You don’t have to worry about them speaking ill of you to others because they are transparent and will say it to your face with love.
4. They want you to grow
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People who truly care for you and want the best for you will encourage your growth. They influence you to invest time in yourself — personally and professionally — and believe you can do anything you put your heart into.
According to Jeremy Sutton, Ph.D., "Continued personal growth is essential for wellbeing, supporting us as we encounter challenges, changes (both expected and unexpected), and daily experiences."
"Such 'growth initiative has been associated with higher levels of psychological wellbeing […] and lower levels of distress (for example, depression and anxiety)' (Ivtzan et al., 2011, p. 920)," he explained.
5. You never have to hide any parts of yourself when you're with them
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In a genuine relationship, you can be unapologetically you, flaws and all. They’ve seen both your good and bad days and accept you as you are.
When a person is good for your mental health, they know and accept every aspect of your persona. They may disagree, but are still able to respect who you are as a person.
6. They support your dreams and uplift you
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When the people around you believe in you wholeheartedly, it’s that much easier to accomplish anything you set out to do.
Someone who is good for your mental health understands your perspective and offer support when you need it. These people push you toward your goals and celebrate your wins along the way.
7. They see you, hear you, and appreciate you
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Being with a person who has no concern about your thoughts and feelings is hard and lonely.
Someone who is good for your mental health knows that sometimes it’s not about a person fixing the problem for you, but simply listening and validating your emotions. Those are the people who want to see you win and appreciate you sharing yourself with them.
8. They want to know more about you
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No matter how well anyone knows someone else, there is always more to learn. If someone is good for your mental well-being, they are well aware that they don't have you entirely figured out, and they are always eager to learn more about what makes you who you are.
Throughout life, people are constantly transforming, so it is vital that everyone around you be willing to get to know the new person that emerges over time. Someone who is good for your mental health is interested in getting to know you over and over, as they find you endlessly fascinating.
9. They communicate openly and effectively
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One of the most common reasons people experience problems in their relationships is a lack of communication. If a person is in the rare class of people who text or call back, share their feelings freely, actively listen, and check on you, they are someone you should hold on to.
As Jared Davis, LPC-MHSP, NCC, explained, "By communicating our needs to ourselves and others, we can get help reducing mental and physical symptoms of stress, depression, and other difficult emotions."
Someone who is good for your mental health takes the time to figure out not only what they want to say, but how to say it in a way that you can fully understand what they mean.
10. They proactively ask questions
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No matter who you are, there will be times when you don’t want to share your feelings with anyone because you feel uncomfortable burdening others with your problems. People who are beneficial to your mental health will proactively reach out in such moments in order to make sure you are good.
People like this are not only empathetic and able to sense something is off, but willing to take action in order to better understand and support you.
11. They share their inner world with you
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Not only should you be able to be vulnerable around a person who has your best interests at heart, but they should also feel comfortable letting you in on their innermost thoughts and emotions. They should be willing to hear you out, and also be open to and trusting of you.
If someone is good for your mental health, they know that feeling trusted is as important as feeling trusting. "When people feel trusted," explained Siena Beacham, "they come forward with their ideas and thoughts more readily."
12. They are accountable
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Unlike people who refuse to take accountability for their actions, those who positively influence your mental health take responsibility when they are in the wrong. They show remorse and accountability by learning from their mistakes and making sure it doesn’t happen again.
Someone who is good for your mental health doesn't make you feel as though you are to blame for everything, and they certainly wouldn't accept someone doing that to them.
13. They can manage their emotions effectively
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Nothing is worse than two emotionally volatile people spending time together. People with good mental hygiene know how to effectively manage their feelings. They are compassionate and understand that energy is contagious, so instead of lashing out, they think before they act or speak.
If someone is good for your mental health, they may appreciate your efforts to soothe them, but they won't expect you to be able to do so or blame you if they can't.
14. They practice their own self-care
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In order to be good to someone else, you also have to be good to yourself. People who take care of themselves mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically tend to do the same for others.
Their self-care includes being with and supporting others, but they also understand the need to be alone and are comfortable in their own company.
Someone who is good for your mental health will take the time to nurture their own needs so there is enough of them left to address yours as well.
15. They know how to ask for help
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Finally, if someone is good for your mental health, they will ask for help when they need it. They are not afraid to say they don’t have all of the answers all of the time, and are comfortable looking outside of themselves for assistance.
Mental Health America noted, "Most people who seek help feel better. For example, more than 80 percent of people treated for depression improve. Treatment for panic disorders has up to a 90 percent success rate."
Someone who is good for your mental health encourages you to get help when needed, and models this by doing the same for themselves.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, who specializes in self-care, self-love, self-enlightenment, interpersonal relationships, and personalities. She strives to deliver informative and entertaining content people can use to help navigate life.