I 18F have been dating my boyfriend (18M) for a while now and at the beginning of our relationship he went through an extremely traumatic life event. I wont go into detail but he was essentially thrust into being an adult and lost any financial or emotional support system he had available. He was severely depressed for quite some time, and wanted to make friends or put time into his hobbies, but over time he ended up realizing those werent the right kind of support he needed. (he developed more of a serious outlook on things bc of his situation and didnt want to associate himself with people who havent experienced reality). The reason why I am asking this question here is because despite him developing more of a positive outlook as time progressed, he will inevitably have moments where he is reminded of the weight of his situation and loses any will to do anything. I do try to ease his burden by covering his expenses whenever possible/giving him a massage or by saying im proud of him and other reassurance, but I am not sure how to support men or offer words of support because I have only had experience with female friends and females in the past. If there is anyone here that has gone through a rough time in adulthood and has felt like they have the life drained out of them when they are/were reminded of it, how would you have wanted to be supported, or how were you supported effectively? What is something that eases your frustration or something you wish was done for you? I apologize for the word salad if there is any, and I am more than happy to clarify any part of this. I just really feel awful when I see him like this because he truly doesnt deserve it and I couldnt be supportive in the right way when it was first happening, so I want to ensure I do the right thing in the future. submitted by /u/ott8r
Originally posted by u/ott8r on r/AskMen
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