You might worry and be scared due to traumatizing events, but the worry goes away over time. However, if your loved one has anxiety, they will be consumed by fear over irrational things. Although you may think their concerns are not real, they would be suffering mentally due to these fears; therefore, you should not dismiss them when they disclose their worries. Helping someone with anxiety is hard, and you should look for an Irvine anxiety therapist who can educate you on ways to help others. You may be sensitive to someone with anxiety; these tips can help them overcome it.
Recognize the Anxiety Symptoms
Your loved one might tell you they have anxiety; however, in most cases, they will not be harmful; it will be better to recognize their signs. Although it is a mental health issue, your loved ones will have physical symptoms like nausea, shortness of breath, diarrhea, sweating, and lightheadedness. They may not engage in physical activities that require high energy, as they get fatigued easily and feel edgy and restless.
Moreover, they will have anxious thoughts like believing the worst can happen, develop persistent worry, and overgeneralize based on one event. Furthermore, they will avoid the situations they fear, seek reassurance, and second-guess everything.
Act Accordingly
You should not enable
You may wish to help your loved one overcome the harmful situations by enabling their fears, but it will not help them overcome anxiety. Even if they avoid the pain, they will continue having anxiety instead of healing. Therefore, modifying your actions to accommodate someone with anxiety leads to persistent fear; instead, you should help them face the fears and learn from their pain.
Don’t force a confrontation
You should avoid confrontation if someone is not willing to admit to undergoing anxiety. Moreover, you should not force them to address their pain and fears; forcing them when they are not ready might result in more anxiety, depression, and a damaged relationship.
Tips Which Work for People with Anxiety
Validate their feelings
It is easy to dismiss someone with anxiety, especially if you think their fears result from insignificant experiences. However, this is not the right approach; you should validate their feelings and ask them how you can provide the support they need. Even if their anxiety does not make sense, you should understand that their feelings are real and need sensitivity and validation.
Express your concerns
Although you should be validating your loved one, you should express your concerns. There might not be too much you can do to lower the anxiety attacks, but you can involve them in social activities and voice your concern when they avoid doing things they love. You may ask them to tell you what caused the change and ask if they need help to overcome the problem.
Ask them to see a therapist
You should suggest therapy if the person is willing to treat anxiety; however, in other situations, if the condition is affecting the ability to enjoy everyday activities, you can recommend therapy even if they don’t want to. You will recommend a therapist you trust and remind them that it is a single appointment that can change their lives.
Helping a loved one overcome anxiety is challenging as it is easy to overlook their fears. However, you should help them face their fears and suggest therapy if their condition impedes their life.
