If you have a relative or a friend who is currently incarcerated, you know the feelings that accompany this situation during their sentence in prison as well as all of the emotions that impacted you while you were learning about their charges. This time away from them can take a toll on your mental health, but there are things you can do to make the situation easier for you as you await their release. To help you work through this difficult time, continue reading below to learn how to make life bearable with a loved one in prison.
Stay Connected With Your Loved One
The most important thing to know about prison is that it is not like the depictions that you see in the media. Individuals who have been sentenced to prison will often have access to a wide variety of activities and therapeutic resources to help them work through their own feelings and pass the time until their release. That said, they still have trouble too and need the support of their loved ones to help them get through their sentence.
If you are missing a family member or friend who is in prison, do your best to stay connected with them by sending them cards and by visiting them when it is possible. If you felt conflicting emotions initially but want to reach out to them now, you can easily use a free background check search to locate them and then contact the prison to learn more about visiting hours and inmate contact information. This way, you can still stay connected despite their imprisonment.
Remember To Stay Busy And Focus On You
The last thing a loved one would want you to do is to stop taking care of yourself while they are away. It is important that you maintain your self-care regimen and make sure that you are tending to your own needs and happiness.
Besides the benefits that this has for your mental and physical health, these activities will keep you busy and distract you when missing your loved one becomes too much for you. The time will pass either way. Make sure to use it wisely so that you will have plenty to tell your loved one when they come home!
Connect With Others Who Are Sharing Your Pain
Dealing with any type of negative emotions can feel like an isolating experience, and it certainly is one when we allow it to be. However, there are plenty of other people who are going through the same emotions as you and, just like you, they need support to make it through this situation as well. Seek support from these people and build a network that will help you and them when you need it. Even if you believe that you can handle it yourself, having other people to lean on and confide in makes dealing with it much easier. Don’t turn away from help. Turn to those who can support you and you will find that you are not alone in your pain.
The most important thing to remember during a loved one’s incarceration is that grief can easily morph into something like depression if the symptoms are allowed to go unchecked. If you feel as though your mood is always low and that you are having difficulty leading your life as you used to, turn to a resource like WithTherapy so that you can find a counselor near you who can help you work through these issues and get the help you need. No matter what you may be feeling, it is more than possible to get through it and to lead a happy, healthy life!
