THE AIM OF THE ARTICLE
In this article we aim to show and give you the following:
7 Key things you can do to help anyone with crippling Anxiety.
Show you the importance of acting and not just saying you want to help.
Teach and show you how to help change anyone’s emotional state in 30 seconds.
We live in an anxious world it would seem and nearly 80% of people will experience anxiety at one stage in their life, so many times we try and help them but fall short and at times increase the anxiety even when we don’t mean to. Even if you don’t struggle and don’t understand you must understand that sometimes even the smallest of gestures can help. So, if you are one of the lucky few or are in a position to help here is our top 7 tips to helping someone with anxiety.
Communicate: Communication is the key to every relationship you will ever have, unfortunately people who suffer from anxiety may struggle and become withdrawn and not be able to open up lines of effective communication for fear of judgment or criticism, that’s where you come in if you can see them struggling ask and ask twice, use a re assuring tone and you start the conversation and always start by telling them how much they mean and how amazing they are and let them get in to the conversation at their own speed. Ask then ask again.
Never judge: One of the biggest fears anyone with anxiety has is what others think about them and the fear that comes with judgment. Remember everyone is different and we all function at a different level and pace, just because someone doesn’t do, thinks or behaves like you doesn’t mean to say it’s wrong. Save the judgement for judgment day and remain open to a million different behaviours and actions. He/she who judges should first ensure they are pure and excellent on every single level, are you?
Encourage them: Anxiety often leads to procrastination and the fine art of getting nothing done, so here is your chance to guide and lead them to achieve different things each and every day and show them that anything can be done. Find out what they are good at and start there and encourage with words and gratitude throughout. When you encourage you create a whole different feeling for them.
Don’t talk rubbish: Just relax, calm down, it will be ok tomorrow, have a wee drink you will feel better. Get the general gist here. No one in the history of being told to calm down has ever calmed down, the point here is someone with anxiety knows this and may have heard it a million times before and all these saying despite the good intent can push and distance the anxiety sufferer even more and hurt what trust they have in you.
Be the calm in the storm: Things like anxiety and panic attacks are brutal for the person suffering them, it’s usually at this point they are a million miles an hour, they will be breathing out of sync, they will have very rapid speech patterns and their mind will be running a million miles an hour, grab them by the hand sit beside them or with them look them in the eye and tell them you are right here with them and get them to box breath with you in for 4 hold for 4 out for 4 pause for 4, lead them in to it and allow them to follow suit and regain control be the calm in the storm.
Help them change emotional state: So, as we have spoken about in the past words=thoughts=emotions=behaviour. So, with that in mind when they are feeling anxious and not doing great try a simple exercise with them called imagine your future:
Close your eyes
Think now of yourself in 1 year’s time with no Anxiety
Everything in life is in alignment and you are a million times better
Now turn up the colours and sounds you hear
Focus on how you will feel when you don’t suffer anxiety
Really visualise it with everything you have.
Spend around 2-3 mins just watching that in your mind’s eye and you should see the smile come up and that’s one way of changing an emotional state.
Create a support system for them to use: Being around and offering your support is one amazing way to help anyone with anxiety. Often anxiety can make you feel very alone in the world and here we have to show them that’s not the case. Imagine it was you in that position, the trick to offering support is be the person you would want to help if it were you in that position. Use all your amazing qualities and more to show them they are never now nor will they be alone on this journey.
Serenity by Kevin are experts in crippling anxiety removal and we are here to help, no matter how big or small your anxiety is, you should learn to control it before it controls you. Reach out today and you never know this might be the change you needed.
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