Explain your anxiety disorder to others
Whether it’s a phobia, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, or panic attacks it can be extremely difficult and stressful to explain to the closest members of your family or friends EXACTLY what you’re going through. Even explaining how you feel can be tricky. Because of this we would like to share some techniques that can help the favourite people in your life understand exactly what you are going through. Also how they can support you best when it happens.
ANXIETY – EXPLAINING WHAT YOU GO THROUGH
We would like you to ask your closest family member or friend to consider a time where they received a piece of really bad life-changing news or information. Some news that as a result made them very worried or concerned for someone, or something else. Then ask them to imagine how it made them feel in the moment. Ask them to remember that sense of being anxious, that fast-beating heartbeat, hot flashes. To remember a notion of being out of control, and possibly not being able to catch their breath. You can then tell them THAT right there what anxiety feels like.
It might be that they have never experienced anxiety before. So also explain to them that you don’t want to be this way. You absolutely do not want to feel anxious and you have never chosen to feel anxious. Assure them of this, and also clarify to them that you are really working on getting better.
Hopefully you know why you’re anxious, and you feel comfortable talking to that relative or friend about it. If so we recommend explaining to them, something along the lines of “I feel this way, because of X that happened in my past, and whilst I’m working on that and trying to resolve it (whether that’s therapy or counselling), until that such a time when I can move on, I’m still going to remain feeling this way, and I need your support and understanding.”
ANXIETY – HOW YOUR FAMILY CAN SUPPORT YOU
You family will now know that you anxiety is due to a past event in your life. Hopefully now they can relate and that will help them put a reason behind why you think and feel the way you do. The most important thing for you now is to address the issue that you have, and put it behind you. Be sure to speak to your GP and be sure to seek therapy and counselling. One thing for sure, you can get better. Anxiety is just your protection response. Please consider, ‘It’s not what’s wrong with you, it’s what happened to you.’
