TO WRITE: How do relationships affect your mental health?
All of our personal relationships are bound to affect us in myriad ways, and our mental health is definitely one of them. Think about the people in your romantic life, for example -- your spouse, partner, or a current or former relationship. Does that person know about your depression, bipolar disorder, or other mental health problem? Can you discuss it with him/her? Is that person supportive? Have you learned over time how to best handle conversations with her/him on this topic? What would you like to change in this area?

Writing about our relationships can be extremely fruitful -- and fascinating. For a great example of writing on changing romantic relationships, check out the essays on the blog of a writer friend of mine at: MovingInMovingOn.typepad.com.

Play with this...
Choose your current partner or a person with whom you had a former romantic relationship. Writing consistently for 20 minutes, describe how you relate(d) to that person on the topic of your mental health. Does reading what you wrote provide any insight into changes you might like to make in this realm, if any?
Beth