#i'm worried this will be misinterpreted as mentally ill people are a burden and make their partners unhappy which is not what this means.

[desultory-suggestions]

An important area of growth, if you struggle with mental illness, is being able to healthily acknowledge how your mental health struggles can burden others. This statement alone may sound scary or wrong, but it isn’t. Mental illness is a burden to the person who suffers from it, but it can also place pressure on partners, family, and friends to be a caretaker. Loved ones should be there to offer you support, but if their role becomes 24/7, intensive, and verges on a defacto therapist, something needs to change. There is a happy and healthy balance where you can get the support you need while your loved ones get the rest and time they need to care for themselves. Take time to reflect on how your health struggles may impact those you love, and unravel the shame and guilt that may arise. This acknowledgment is not a punishment, and you are not a burden. You are not hard to love. The reason it is worth exploring is that you and your loved ones deserve the health and happiness that a healthy balance brings. It’s not wrong to need support, we just have to go about it in a healthy manner.