How to Support Someone Living With Chronic Anxiety

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Apr 21, 2022

✨POV✨: Not sure of what to say or do when someone's anxiety is more than you understand? That ends here!

You may have heard of anxiety or know of people with anxiety disorders.

This is different from occasional anxiety because this anxiety impacts one's mental health conditions. There's intense fear and overwhelming anxiety to the point where people can no longer manage stress or stop the negative thoughts from triggering anxiety.

Anxiety disorder is one of the mental disorders that can go unnoticed in people. Add persistent physical signs like chronic headaches or muscle aches; anxiety disorder can be misunderstood as something else.

But the more you know about anxiety disorder, the better it gets to identify its manifestations. Here's how you can support that friend or relative living with anxiety that's chronic:

Learn About Anxiety disorders 📚

There are different types of anxiety disorders. This means that their existing anxiety has stemmed from one of these - and is now presenting itself as persistent symptoms that just won't quit.

👉🏽 Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

Some people experience anxiety disorder symptoms like intense fear and overall persistent worry and stress - chances are that these indicate a generalized anxiety disorder.

👉🏽 Panic disorder

Sometimes, excessive anxiety can lead to unexplainable heart palpitations causing panic attacks. Frequent panic attacks lead to panic disorder.

This can even feel like a heart attack for some.

Social anxiety disorder where social situations trigger anxiety, leading to social phobia.

👉🏽 Other anxiety disorders

👉🏽 Separation anxiety disorder

Anxiety may also stem from a separation anxiety disorder which makes one fearful of being alone or away from a loved one.

👉🏽 Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

When obsessive, anxious thoughts are so persistent and convincing that it makes one behave in a certain way or pattern that may not be the healthiest - this can indicate OCD.

Understand anxiety disorder symptoms 🤔

Things that trigger anxiety for some may feel differently from others.

Know what makes their anxiety symptoms worse.

Asking them these specifics can help you understand how anxiety can impact physical health conditions:

What caused your panic attacks recently?

Do you have difficulty concentrating in class or at work?

Would you say you experience muscle tension or stiff jaw, or even irritable bowel syndrome days or weeks before an anxiety-inducing event?

Recognize What Can Help 🤗

👂🏽 Listen

Listening without judgment or jumping to opinions can make the person living with anxiety feel heard and seen.

Another way to make them feel understood can be through being - the one-stop self-therapy app for all emotions. To help them start, check out this mini therapy designed by mental health specialists - I feel no one understands me.

💜 Compassion

Let them know that it's okay to be anxious and that things will eventually shift for the better.

You can encourage them with these mini therapies on being, like - I see anxiety taking hold of me for the next time they want some quick healthy distraction.

🤝 Support

Not only for the next time they feel anxious, but supporting a person with anxiety means being aware of how they would want to be helped.

One way can be by enabling them with tools for relieving anxiety, especially for when they're by themselves.

Here, this mini guided therapy on being can be one way to start - I embrace my fears fully and lovingly.

To wrap it up 🥰

The first step to showing support to a person living with anxiety that's chronic is by de-stigmatizing the mental health disorder and learning as much as you can about it.

Or, there's being. Here, they can access mini therapies designed by mental health specialist teams at their own pace, and these personalized and bite-sized guided therapy sessions can help them find calm at any time!

Cheers!

Want to find out more? Check out: People With Anxiety: Here's Why Some Live with Relentless Anxiety.

Disclaimer

A mental health professional will guide you through your mental health disorders or mental illnesses - regardless of what they may be. They can also help with mental health concerns like intense anxiety (and physical symptoms like panic attacks) to treat anxiety disorders through cognitive behavioral therapy, talk therapy, and support groups. Seek professional help - the closest one is a google search away.