How to Assistance Someone with Feet

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All of u.s.a. worry and get scared from time to time. Simply those with anxiety may experience consumed by fears of things that might seem irrational to others. Information technology can be hard to relate to these concerns, and every bit a result, many people don't know how to best help someone with anxiety.

"People are oft dismissive of people experiencing feet," says Joseph McGuire, Ph.D., a pediatric psychologist with Johns Hopkins Medicine. "With other medical illnesses, you may be able to see physical symptoms. But with anxiety, y'all don't necessarily encounter what the person is dealing with. So it'south of import to be sensitive to what the person with feet is going through, fifty-fifty if it doesn't brand sense to y'all."

It's distressing to watch a loved 1 feel panic attacks and face anxiety every day, only at that place are things you can practise to help. It starts with recognizing the signs of excessive worry and agreement the best ways to support your loved one.

Acquire to Recognize the Signs of Anxiety

Feet disorder is the nigh common mental health condition in the United states, affecting up to 18% of the population. Knowing the signs of feet can help you realize when someone you honey is having fearful thoughts or feelings. Symptoms vary from person to person just tin can exist broken into three categories:

Physical Symptoms

Some of the concrete symptoms your loved i may study feeling include:

  • Lightheadedness
  • Sweating
  • Nausea
  • Feeling edgy and/or restless
  • Shortness of jiff
  • Diarrhea
  • Getting hands drawn

Anxious Thoughts

People with anxiety often accept thought patterns such every bit:

  • Assertive the worst will happen
  • Persistent worry
  • All-or-nothing thinking
  • Overgeneralizing (making overall assumptions based on a unmarried upshot)

Anxious Behaviors

Maybe what yous'll observe most is your loved one's behaviors. Common feet behaviors include:

  • Avoidance of feared situations or events
  • Seeking reassurance
  • Second-guessing
  • Irritability and frustration in feared situations
  • Compulsive deportment (similar washing hands over and over)

Know What NOT to Exercise

Typical responses to someone with feet are often unhelpful. Hither are actions you should avert:

Don't Enable

It's common to want to assist your loved one avoid painful situations by going out of your manner to eliminate the crusade for concern. "On the surface, this seems actually thoughtful and sweet," says McGuire. "Just feet doesn't unremarkably get away. Over fourth dimension, if people continually avoid facing difficult situations, the anxiety grows and special requests for accommodations get bigger."

If you continue to modify your behavior or the environs to accommodate your loved one's anxiety, this can unintentionally enable the feet to persist and grow. Avoiding difficult situations doesn't give your loved one the opportunity to overcome fears and learn how to master anxiety. Instead, information technology makes their world smaller as what they are able to do becomes more and more than limited by their growing anxiety.


Don't Force Confrontation

On the other mitt, information technology's also non good to strength a person to do something they're scared of. "Trying to push button somebody who's not gear up tin damage that relationship," warns McGuire. Learning how to overcome deep apprehension is piece of work all-time washed in partnership with a professional therapist. This takes the burden off yous. Information technology likewise empowers your loved one past helping them face their fears one pace at a fourth dimension with guidance from somebody with feel.

Apply Anxiety Tips That Piece of work

Responses based on love and acceptance, and the desire to come across your loved i get better, are the cornerstones of helping someone with anxiety. Consider the following approaches:

Provide Validation

Many different things tin can brand people anxious. Saying something like, "I can't believe you're getting upset over such a small matter" belittles a person's feel. Instead, ask your loved i how you tin can provide support during challenging moments.

"What makes one person fearful may be no big bargain to someone else," says McGuire. "Their anxiety doesn't have to brand sense to you — it's important to sympathise that what the person is experiencing is existent and requires sensitivity."

Express Business concern

"It's hard to see a loved one having an anxiety attack," says McGuire. "But in the moment, there's not too much you can practice to shorten the duration or noticeably lower the intensity of a panic attack."

"When you outset to notice your loved one withdrawing from activities that they used to enjoy, you don't accept to cover up your business. Instead, it can exist helpful to approach your loved one in a warm and positive manner," says McGuire. "You can start a dialogue by proverb yous've noticed certain behavior changes."

For example: "Hey, I noticed that yous've been avoiding going to [insert location] and other social gatherings. Can you share with me what caused the modify?" So, depending on how the conversation goes, you might ask if they recall they need some help or back up in coping with their anxiety.


Know When to Seek Help

If your loved one's anxiety starts to impede their ability to relish life, interact at school, work or hang out with friends, or if it causes problems at home, and then it's time to seek professional help.

Encourage a loved 1 to make an appointment with a mental health provider. "If they're resistant, you can remind them that it'south merely one appointment," says McGuire. "Information technology doesn't mean they have to commit to treatment or to working with that specific therapist. It'southward really simply an initial check-in, like an annual concrete exam but for your mental and emotional health."

how to help someone with anxiety

Johns Hopkins Anxiety Disorders Program

Learn more nearly treatment options offered in our Anxiety Disorders Plan.


Handling Options for Patients with Anxiety

There are two primary treatments for individuals with anxiety:

  • Cerebral behavioral therapy (CBT), which involves learning how to lower anxiety and face lamentable situations.
  • Medication management with antidepressants, which works well on its own but fifty-fifty better when coupled with CBT.

During therapy, continue to bear witness your support by:

  • Asking your loved one what you tin can do to help them.
  • Asking if you lot can attend a therapy session to learn some skills to better back up them.
  • Making time for your own life and interests to sustain your energy.
  • Encouraging your loved one to try another therapist if the first one isn't a good fit.

"If y'all're concerned virtually a loved one'south feet, early handling is ideal," says McGuire. "The longer you lot let anxiety or any sort of mental or physical health condition go without intervention, the harder it can be to recover."