Anxiety is often defined as an irrational fear of something. It comes in many forms and can trigger a variety of symptoms. It impacts people differently, so it’s not always easy for others in your life to fully understand how they can support you or even understand what you’re going through.
That doesn’t mean they don’t want to.
If you do struggle with anxiety, it’s important to know that the people who care about you might not know how to help you when you need it, or they may be worried about making things worse.
You can help them, and yourself, by giving them tips to better understand your anxiety. That includes how your anxiety affects you, what your symptoms are, and even what triggers it.
With that in mind, let’s look at some of those tips, so you can help your loved ones understand your anxiety, and they can give you the support you need.
The Difference Between Anxiety and Worrying
Although anxiety and worry have a lot in common, worry tends to be short term and related to a specific situation or event. Anxiety can also be specific to a situation, but is so intense that it interferes with normal functioning, or spreads to so many other situations that it feels ever-present.
Anxiety is a real mental health condition and it doesn’t go away on its own without some kind of treatment. It’s important for the people in your life to understand just how real it is. While it might feel overwhelming to have to explain it and face the symptoms of the disorder, educating others on what anxiety really is can help them to support you in better ways.
Anxiety Symptoms Don’t Always Manifest Themselves Openly
Some people experience more intense symptoms of anxiety than others. Some common physical symptoms include fatigue, rapid heart rate, restlessness/agitation, and sweating. For others, it can be more of an internal mental struggle, such as imagining worst-case scenarios, jumping to conclusions, or predicting negativity.
If your friends and family have accepted the fact that you have anxiety, it’s also important for them to understand that just because they don’t always see physical signs of it doesn’t mean it’s not there.
You Can’t Always Fix It On Your Own
You wouldn’t tell a clinically depressed person to just “cheer up” and move on. It’s also not fair to tell someone with anxiety to snap out of it or “don’t be worried.”
Some people with anxiety can manage their symptoms with different techniques, including mindfulness and meditation. But, there’s no way to just “stop” anxiety. It’s a process that can require medication, therapy, or both in order to overcome the pattern and live a life free from debilitating fear.
When you have anxiety, having a strong support system around you is important. Your friends and family likely want to help, and it’s okay if they don’t know everything there is to know about the disorder. By taking the time to let them know how you feel and educate them on anxiety, you’ll help them to help you.
