Allow me to begin this post by stating that I am not, in any way, a mental health professional. I do not wish for this post to suggest otherwise, and, as always, please consult with your physician prior to making any major decisions regarding mental or physical health.
Anyone who deals with anxiety themselves is likely fully aware of how difficult it can be to manage the condition independently. Because anxiety can present itself in so many adverse ways and can have different forms, it makes it tricky to distinguish a distinct means to address and further improve the condition.
The idea of helping someone else overcome their anxiety can, therefore, understandably, be an overwhelming and confusing one.
As I’ve stated numerous times in different blog posts, I’ve had anxiety for about 10 years now. This ain’t my first rodeo, and because I’ve been dealing with it for as long as I have, I’ve been able to develop and identify coping mechanisms and techniques that have aided me in my struggles with anxiety tremendously. I cannot say that my tips and tricks will work for everyone, but they have helped me, and they have also helped others dealing with anxiety.
I have someone in my life who has been struggling with their anxiety for just about one year now. This person approached me and asked for some advice in regards to how to better manage it, and I was happy to share my own tendencies with them.
The key element in the equation of assisting someone with anxiety is recognizing that no two people have identical anxiety. If you try to force coping mechanisms that have worked for you onto someone else who is dealing with an entirely different form of anxiety, your suggested coping mechanisms will likely backfire. This will result in pushing back any progress this person has made and will discourage them from trying to get back to where they were.
The first step in assisting someone with their anxiety is understanding their own specific anxiety. Until this is accomplished, it’s difficult to help them gain any ground.
ontheedgeofeverything 