Here are seven proven ways curated by our therapist to help someone with anxiety disorders around you. Anxiety disorders have become a part of our lives. Someone from our family, friends, or relatives is facing these disorders. We all know they need help.
We have gathered some solutions for you that will not only educate you to understand the person with anxiety but also help you neutralize or decrease their anxiety.
Raise Your Awareness of Anxiety
In the United States, anxiety disorders are the most common mental health issue. Anxiety disorders affect more than 40 million adults (19.1%) in the United States.
Every year, 7% of kids between the ages of 3 to 17 suffer from anxiety. Most people get anxiety symptoms before age 21.
Interestingly, although anxiety is a treatable disorder, only around one-third of patients find relief.
Because of the complexity of the condition, Anxiety is challenging to identify and manage using a single set of generalized parameters.
The following categories are used to classify the various anxiety symptoms:
1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Excessive concern and anxiety about a variety of things, including activities and events, are symptoms of a Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). This anxiety is hard to manage and frequently changes from one worry to another.
People with GAD report feeling worried about routine daily activities, their relationships, or potential future events, even when there is no clear harm.
2. Panic Disorder
The symptoms of panic disorder include regular, severe panic attacks that come on suddenly and with little or any warning.
Rapid breathing, a heightened sense of fear, and a rapid heartbeat are just a few of the physical and psychological signs of a panic attack.
3. Selective Mutism
It is an anxiety condition that starts in childhood. Usually, it occurs between the ages of two and four years.
A kid with this anxiety condition experiences constant fear, which is accompanied by restlessness, an absence of eye contact, and a lack of feeling.
4. Social Anxiety Disorder
It is also known as social phobia which involves a fear of social situations. This phobia can be more generic and encompass a variety of social circumstances as opposed to being focused on specific activities, such as public speaking.
Shaking legs, racing heartbeat, stomach upset, and dread are the symptoms of social anxiety disorder.
5. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Obsessions are a center of unsettling ideas about prohibited subjects, a fear of germs, a need to have things in a specific order, etc.
Compulsions are behaviors in which people frequently take part to calm their anxiety efforts which come from unwanted thoughts.
The symptoms of OCD include body-dysmorphic disorder, hoarding disorder, and trichotillomania.
6. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
A disease known as Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop after a stressful experience. Changes in mood, arousal, and reactivity are among the signs of PTSD.
People may experience disturbing ideas, recollections, and nightmares because of the trauma. Other frequent symptoms include flashbacks, hypervigilance, anxiety, etc.
Discover Anxiety Symptoms
When you are searching for how to help someone with anxiety, knowing the signs of Anxiety helps you to understand the range of Anxiety of a person’s symptoms.
Knowing the signs of anxiety can help you realize others’ fearful thoughts or feelings. As symptoms differ from person to person, they may be divided into three categories:
1. Physical Symptoms
Some of the physical symptoms a person can experience are:
- Sweating
- headache
- Fatigued
- Diarrhea
- Shortness of breath
- Feeling restless
2. Mental Thoughts
Anxious people frequently exhibit cognitive patterns such as
- Making more assumptions
- Nothing thinking
- Constant tension
- Expecting the worst
3. Anxious Behaviors
The most obvious change you can notice is in the person’s behavior. Common signs of behavior change include
- Avoiding threatening circumstances or occurrences
- Don’t trust anyone
- Angry and frustrated when faced with feared circumstances
- Excessive Actions
Seven Ways: How to Help Someone with Anxiety
Normal anxiety and Anxiety disorders are different things. If you come across any friends who suffer from an anxiety disorder, be there for them and provide your support.
If you’re not sure how to help someone with an anxiety attack, check out these 7 ways and provide them the suitable advice.
1. Pay Attention To How They Feel
It is important to pay attention to the person, listen to their problem, and validate their feelings. They will get comfort from you.
Actually, a person with anxiety is afraid of “What if this nasty thing happens?” These things make fear in their mind. At that moment, only observed their feelings.
Do not give too much advice, because constant reassurance may worsen and exacerbate their symptoms.
Teach them how to handle the problem, and what the real situation is, and do so. It will save them from chronic anxiety attacks.
To help someone with anxiety disorder, you can suggest the following natural remedies for anxiety attacks:
- Activities for deep breathing
- Performing some physical activity
- Experiencing nature
- Talking with a trained therapist
2. Encourage Them To Take The Best Care
Anxiety is a relatively curable disorder, which is excellent news.
Many times, making new lifestyle decisions regarding your priorities, your food, your exercise routine, and other livable aspects under your control can help minimize symptoms to a comfortable level.
However, there are specific circumstances in which symptoms might develop that demand medical attention because they are too frequent, severe, or actually killing you.
A qualified and experienced therapist can advise helpful methods for treating anxiety.
For a friend or a person with anxiety, do not always try to use your power. Apply your best judgment and promote expert help.
With the correct care, anxiety symptoms can be sufficiently lessened so that a person can resume their typical activities.
3. Recognize the Negative Things
Yes, we do not want to do anything when helping someone that would make their anxiety symptoms worse or more frequently.
Therefore, it’s important to understand what to avoid doing besides calming down the people.
When someone makes a mistake while worrying, don’t point the finger at them. They will get angry and depressed because of it.
Let your friend or loved one know you’re there for them by simply expressing your love for them.
Share the best ways that could have been effective for them. However, offer them space and continuous encouragement while they proceed on their journey.
Here are some of the negative things you shouldn’t say to someone who is experiencing anxiety.
• Don’t compare your anxiety to that of someone else. So, avoid saying, “I understand what you’re saying, and I’m aware of how long it takes to recover from an anxiety attack.”
• Don’t force them to do meditation, yoga, or deep breathing exercises. Because different relaxation techniques work for different people who suffer from anxiety. Some need traveling or a break from work, and some of them need a therapist.
• Don’t continuously ask, “Are You Okay?” It created more mental stress for them to get better now. Take a walk and listen to some anxiety relief music, or go to a quiet place with anxious people if you want to help.
• Don’t force them to go to your doctor. Let them make their own decisions if they want to consult other mental health professionals.
What you say and don’t say to anxious people matters a lot. If you remove negative thinking from their minds, they will get more strength in dealing with anxiety symptoms.
4. Share Helpful Resources
Figuring out how to help someone with social anxiety can be difficult. But, Anxiety is a widespread mental health illness, so you can find lots of online and offline resources.
If someone is diagnosed with anxiety disorder, you can suggest to them resources like online sites, books, articles, apps, podcasts, Radio & Television shows, etc.
If you don’t know which is the best resource for you, you can consult with a mental health expert.
A few reliable sources that might be highly beneficial are listed below:
- National Institute of Mental Health
- Anxiety and Depression Association of America
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
- National Alliance of Mental Illness
5. Set Boundaries
Set some boundaries on your advice when you’re attempting to help someone. If you are not a professional mental health counselor, don’t behave like one.
You might advise them on certain techniques that reduce their anxiety symptoms without pressuring them.
Set boundaries that include self-care as well. If you are in a relationship with someone anxious, know your responsibilities and control your emotions while supporting them.
6. Suggest Mindfulness Meditation
Someone who is suffering from anxiety can take advantage of mindfulness meditation. It can help them to develop the ability to analyze their thoughts.
According to a study, Participants who do mindfulness meditation showed a substantial reduction in anxiety and stress.
Compared to those who viewed the visuals but did not meditate, those who practiced mindfulness meditation were better able to detach from emotionally graphic scenes and concentrate more effectively on a cognitive task.
7. Take The Time For Yourself.…
Know your roles. You intend to help the person, not to take away anxiety from them.
Sometimes taking on too much responsibility can make you suffer from anxiety symptoms, too. You can only assist someone to boost their strength.
You can give them soothing music from the Wellheal app to help in their physical and mental recovery.
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Treatment Options for Patients With Anxiety
There are several evidence-based therapies available to help with anxiety and depression disorders. Some treatments are given below:
1. Self-Help Resources
Because self-care tools are readily available, It is the main therapy option for anxiety relief. It can make you feel better without requiring you to explore extra services.
Books are an excellent resource for self-care. It is simply available at your local library.
To treat anxiety and panic attacks, there are various app-based CBT that is cognitive behavioral therapies available, too.
You can give a resource to work through on your own or enroll in a course with other people who are going through similar issues.
2. Talking Therapies
If self-help resources are unlikely to help you with your anxiety problems, or if you’ve previously tried them and they haven’t helped, your doctor should recommend a talking therapy.
For anxiety and panic, two types of talking treatments are recommended:
- Relaxation Therapy
To do this, practice calming your muscles if you might typically feel anxious. It will assist you in making sense of things and better understanding yourself.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
This focuses on how your feelings and actions are influenced by your ideas, beliefs, and attitudes and offer you coping mechanisms for a variety of issues.
3. Medication
Your doctor may prescribe medicine to help you manage your symptoms. Please, take the medication only as instructed by your doctor.
4. Support Therapy
The following are some things you can do to support a person with anxiety:
• Ask about what you can do to support them.
• Requesting them to attend a therapy session to get knowledge about how to help them more effectively.
• If the first therapist isn’t a good fit, urge them to try a different one.
Related: Music Therapy For Depression
Conclusion
The most crucial thing to keep in mind is that when someone confides to you they are experiencing anxiety or a panic attack, understand their feelings.
If they showed their trust in you, support them with a kind heart. Even if you can’t eliminate anxiety, your encouragement may make them feel more at ease and lessen the anxiety, which is an outstanding thing to do for someone you care about.
Disclaimer
The information provided here is just for educational purposes only. Kindly consult your physician before making any medical changes.
