- Acquiring enough information: Before offering to help someone with an anxiety disorder, it is vital to seek relevant information about anxiety disorders. Prior knowledge can help you better understand what the person with anxiety is going through so you can offer more effective support.
- Lending an eager ear: When dealing with anxiety, a person can get so overwhelmed by crowded thoughts in their mind that they constantly remain in a state of bewilderment and may struggle with expressing how they are feeling or what they are thinking. Listening closely can help you piece together their innermost feelings and make them feel truly heard.
- Showing patience: People suffering from anxiety disorders can be impatient, impulsive, and jump to conclusions about someone’s thoughts and actions. Try to keep in mind that this is a compulsion for them and there is nothing voluntary about it. Staying patient and calm yourself can help set a good tone for providing support.
- Not undermining their agony: It is never a good idea to ask someone with an anxiety disorder to “get over it” or “stop worrying.” Even they know that most of their inner turmoil is because of their irrational thoughts. However, simply asking them to get over it, again and again, is not going to yield any results. Trying to be in sync with them, showing empathy and waiting for the dust to settle down is a far more effective approach. Try to provide them with some reassurance and genuine words of kindness.
