How To Care For Someone With Anxiety

Learning how to care for someone with anxiety may seem like a daunting task. You want to be able to help your friend or family, but you don’t fully understand.

You don’t want to ignore matters, but you also don’t want to cause harm. Here are some do’s and don’ts that you may find helpful.

Do: Gain an Understanding of Anxiety

Anxiety from person to person can vary greatly. Underneath the general anxiety umbrella lies a range of anxiety subtypes. While some symptoms overlap, others are more specific to the type.

Learning more about anxiety and what symptoms can present will help you gain more understanding of what they are feeling. Knowing their symptoms can help you empathize, and recognizing any red flags can help you know when they might need support.

Do: Provide Support and Reassurance

One of the key characteristics of anxiety is this frequent fear and worry about events that have already happened, the “what-if I had done this differently.” Changing that mentality is a difficult feat for most anxiety sufferers.

Whether you understand the “what” or the “why,” make sure you offer support. Let them know it’s okay not to be okay and that you’re here for them when they need it. Offer validation and reassurance while holding the judgment. And no matter what you do, avoid saying “calm down” at all costs.

Do: Communicate Effectively

Sometimes, what’s needed the most during anxiety flare-ups is a listening ear. It’s natural to want to express your feelings and opinions disguised as advice. You could have the best intentions, but that doesn’t mean they will land successfully.

Put your active listening skills to work, truly hearing what they say. Talk less and listen more.

Or even better yet, ask them about their preferences for being supported. When you can understand their needs, you can provide more effective emotional support. And that alone can make a huge impact.

Do: Take Care of Yourself

Caring for someone with anxiety can be heavy at times. You may feel some frustration or fatigue yourself. It’s possible for their anxiety to transfer to you.

Make sure you’re taking care of yourself and being mindful of your mental health. You’ll be better positioned to help them when you’re in a good place.

Don’t: Enable

Those with anxiety may be prone to avoid places and situations that are anxiety-inducing. As a friend/family member, it’s not uncommon to adjust your behaviors around them.

While you may think you’re helping by reducing their stress, this is only a short-term fix. You’re actually enabling this behavior to continue long-term. It also discourages them from noticing there is a problem worth exploring help for.

Don’t: Perseverate on Anxiety

Once you know someone is struggling with anxiety, it’s easy for that to take center stage. Avoid bringing anxiety up repeatedly or asking frequent questions about how they’re doing.

Let your conversations remain normal, and talk about your usual matters. You don’t want the conversation to feel forced or for them to feel pressured to talk about that negative piece more than they’d like to.

Don’t: Encourage Bad Habits

People suffering from anxiety will find ways to cope with their symptoms. Those mechanisms may be healthy but sometimes err on the side of unhealthy. This may be turning to drugs or drinking to alleviate daily stress.

Experts in the field have found that people who struggle with anxiety disorders are two to three times more likely to develop a substance abuse problem. If you see someone giving off red flags around substances, let them know you’re concerned. Don’t let that behavior go unaddressed; don’t encourage nights out drinking or partying if you are concerned about certain behaviors.

Anxiety can be a complex process. Recovery takes time and sometimes a lot of effort. It’s important not to expect an immediate change in their issues or mental health as a whole. If you’d like to learn more or gain more assistance, use our contact information to schedule an appointment for anxiety therapy.