5 Things not to Say to a Person suffering from Anxiety
Anxiety has become a common diagnosis among a lot of people today, owing to the way they live their lives and the competition they are forced to keep up with to make a mark in the world. If you have a friend who is going through anxiety issues, here are some things you should avoid saying that can make the situation worse: 1. It’s just a phase You may have the best intentions at heart when telling the person sitting in front you that anxiety is just a phase that they will get over. Saying to a person suffering from anxiety, however, can be the wrong thing to say and may very well make the person feel that he or she isn’t being understood. No matter how obvious it may be to you that the situation isn’t one to stress over, 2. Calm down How many times have you told a friend suffering from anxiety to calm down? If you have before, you are guilty of making your friend feel even worse than his or her anxiety makes her feel. After all, if they could calm down, they would, eliminating the condition that their anxiety puts them in altogether. 3. Suck it up
By saying something like “suck it up�, you very well imply that your friend going through anxiety issues is a coward who is unable to keep his or her emotions in check. Shaming them for what anxiety does to them is by far the worst thing one can do as a friend. Instead try to understand them better. 4. Stop overanalyzing Yes, anxious people tend to overanalyze a lot of things. And that may very well be a trigger for their anxiety. However, coaxing them or asking them to stop overanalyzing can make the situation worse. By saying this, one can often lead an anxious person to believe that their experience of anxiety is being considered invalid or unreasonable. 5. Try a drink While alcohol can help relieve some amount of stress and take away the oncoming of anxiety for a while, it can lead to a person being dependent on substances if it has managed to keep anxiety at bay even for a little while. Succumbing to drug and alcohol addiction is a huge possibility in such cases. While these are a few things that you must do your best to avoid saying to a friend suffering from anxiety, you must also try to help your friends by coaxing them to try online therapy for anxiety as a method of overcoming the disorder through healthy means.