Dear Friendship Panel,

I am facing a challenge that concerns one of my close friends One of my friends has been on sick leave due to stress, followed by prolonged depression. I really want to be there for my friend and support them as best as I possibly can, but its hard to know how to handle the situation. I’m afraid of doing or saying the wrong thing, which could make things worse, and I often feel powerless.

M friend is often tired or in a bad mood when we’re together. It seems like she is withdrawing more and more, and I don’t know how much I should push to offer my support. I feel a bit ashamed to admit it, but I often feel drained of energy after we’ve been together. I miss our friendship as it was before when we could do fun things together and when the mood wasn’t always so downcast. I feel like a bad friend and am unsure of how much space is should give and how I can be a good support without losing our friendship.

So dear panel, what should I do? How can I best support my friend through depression without crossing boundaries or losing our friendship?

Sincerely,

A Worried Friend