Words Not to Say to Someone Struggling with Anxiety
Struggling with Anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders in the world today. According to a study conducted in the UK, one in five people suffer from anxiety. Moreover, many people who experience anxiety do not know how to deal with it. The first point of contact for people with anxiety is often their friends.
When this is the case, the person who is struggling with anxiety, as well as his relatives, has a job. Some sentences we use with good intentions can sometimes be things that shouldn’t be said to someone struggling with anxiety. Sometimes, it may be enough to stand next to that person silently without saying anything or to look at him with your loving eyes and say I understand you, when he looks at you.
Anxiety can wreak havoc on a person’s entire body and mind. When we see someone in such a situation, “Get up, why are you like this? what is wrong?” We try to help with words like—however, none of these work. When your loved ones are struggling with anxiety, being unable to help them and feeling helpless prevents people from thinking healthy. When all you want is for the person, you love to be well and to feel good.
Unfortunately, sometimes we can make things worse. This is what usually happens to someone trying to combat anxiety. As the Brainusermanual team, we’ve compiled a list of things not to say to someone struggling with anxiety.
1- “Forget Struggling with Anxiety”
It is a healthy attitude to let go of anger, resentments, fears, the past, and whatever prevents you from being happy and loving the moment. However, this is not a one-time decision but something to be learned with practice over time. When you see someone in a panic, you should remind them not to let them go but that it is normal to have these fears and that there are people around them who love them.
2- ” Struggling with Anxiety Not That Big Thing”
Whatever is causing the anxiety feels like the most significant, scariest, the worst thing in life. You can’t turn this feeling on or off with a button. When you say to someone struggling with anxiety in this way, “It’s not that important,” the other person will understand this sentence as “You are exaggerating.” Instead, try saying, “I know it’s hard and scary, but you’re not alone. I’m here to help.”
3- “Life Is Too Short To Worry”
Yes, life is concise, and we all want to live this short life to the fullest. But saying this to someone struggling with anxiety makes them worry even more and worry about the brevity of life. Knowing that life can be lived more fully hurts someone struggling with anxiety.
4- “Calm Down”
Calming down can be a goal, not a step to action. When we panic, what we all want is to calm down. But if you tell someone in a panic to calm down, it may cause them to panic even more. When you want to calm someone struggling with anxiety, could you do something to calm them down instead of saying it? Hold her hands, and make her breathe more deeply. When they have calmed down, tell them how they calmed down.
5- “What You’re Stressed For, It Won’t Be A Month Later”
This may be true most of the time, but saying it to someone struggling with anxiety isn’t very reassuring. More importantly, someone with anxiety feels like they are dealing with disaster. You cannot rationally explain it to that person. Someone in a panic needs validation, not rational thought. He needs confirmation, bad things can happen to him, that it’s normal to be afraid. He also wants to hear that he is safe. Whatever is causing the anxiety feels like the most significant, scariest, the worst thing in life.
