{"id":4195,"date":"2020-05-21T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-21T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.creativesolutionsonline.org\/?p=4195"},"modified":"2025-07-08T19:17:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T00:17:07","slug":"help-others-understand-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.creativesolutionsonline.org\/rebuild-csbh-sit\/help-others-understand-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips to Help Explain Anxiety to Your Loved Ones"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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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\u2019s not always easy for others in your life to fully understand how they can support you or even understand what you\u2019re going through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

That doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t want to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you do struggle with anxiety, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that in mind, let\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Difference Between Anxiety and Worrying<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anxiety is a real mental health condition and it doesn\u2019t go away on its own without some kind of treatment. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Anxiety<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Anxiety Symptoms Don\u2019t Always Manifest Themselves Openly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your friends and family have accepted the fact that you have anxiety, it\u2019s also important for them to understand that just because they don\u2019t always see physical signs of it doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s not there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You Can\u2019t Fix It On Your Own<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You wouldn\u2019t tell a clinically depressed person to just \u201ccheer up\u201d and move on. It\u2019s also not fair to tell someone with anxiety to snap out of it or \u201cdon\u2019t be worried.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people with anxiety can manage their symptoms with different techniques, including mindfulness and meditation. But, there\u2019s no way to just \u201cstop\u201d anxiety. It\u2019s a process that can require medication, therapy, or both in order to overcome the pattern and live a life free from debilitating fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you have anxiety, having a strong support system around you is important. Your friends and family likely want to help, and it\u2019s okay if they don\u2019t 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\u2019ll help them to help you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Contact Me<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I know how stressful and demanding it can be to make changes in your life, but you don\u2019t have to figure it out on your own.   Some of the benefits of individual therapy include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n