How To Tell Your Friends and Family That You Have Anxiety

Mental HealthFebruary 10, 2019

While anxiety is a subject that has been covered extensively over the last few years, a lot of people still aren’t properly aware of it. For a good portion of today’s population, anxiety is the normal ‘anxious’ feeling that almost everyone experiences, whereas the reality is that anxiety is on a whole new level. Such people need to be convinced that anxiety is nothing to be taken lightly because it’s something that truly affects the victim and has dire, real-world consequences that make the victim’s life really difficult. People who aren’t familiar with anxiety are likely to pass it off as something that doesn’t matter and might think of it as something that should be ignored. The worst-case scenario, which people suffering from anxiety might already have gone through, is people telling them to just calm down and stop fussing. This one hurts the most, especially when it’s coming from people who are close to us which is why we’ve compiled a list of things for you to do in order to explain anxiety to those around you.

Remain Calm

Of course, it’s pretty ironic that the person who has anxiety is being asked to stay calm to help people who have no understanding of it. However, there’s no way around this, and you’re just going to have to take a chance when you’re feeling fine. You need to realize that only 18% of the American population suffers from anxiety which means the vast majority has absolutely no idea what a panic attack feels like. Due to this reason, you’re going to have to have the patience of a saint when dealing with your friends and family who’re ignorant of the whole thing.

You’ll have to deal with statements like ‘why don’t you just get over it’ or ‘why don’t you just drink a glass of water and calm down?’. These are very likely to infuriate you and might make matters worse than they already are, so it’s imperative that you stay in your senses and answer the people you’re talking to in the most polite way you can possibly muster because they’re genuinely trying to understand what you’re going through and need your help in order to do so. Fits of rage due to impatience won’t help either side of the discussion and will only reaffirm your family’s beliefs that you’re just being overdramatic about everything.

Consider Your Relationship With The Person You’re Talking To

You need to keep in mind just how much you want to share with the person you’re trying to explain your problem to. You also need to consider how much attention they’re likely to pay and just how important they are in your life. If you’re talking to your siblings, parents or loved ones, you’ll have to be patient with them because they probably have your best interests at heart and are likely listening with care. They’re also likely to help you out the most during your times of need, especially when you have anxiety attacks. Your close friends also fall into this category and deserve all the effort that you can give. However, if someone’s not paying attention and isn’t close to you, they might not be worth the trouble. Keep in mind just how much detail you want to go into when talking to them as talking to someone who’s almost a stranger might not have the best long term effects even if it seems like a good idea at first.

Give The Process Some Time

Patience is key when you’re trying to explain to those around you how your problem is affecting you. Don’t be dismayed if they don’t get it right away. Remember, they’re not living inside your body and don’t know exactly how anxiety is a part of your daily life. Let them be around you, especially when you have panic attacks so that they can observe how you’re being affected and tell them exactly what they’ll need to do to help you during such an event. You should provide your loved ones with the relevant material so that they can read up on what anxiety is.