6 Things Your Friend With Anxiety Probably Wants You to Know

Being friends with someone with anxiety can be difficult, draining and even annoying.

They may cancel plans all the time and avoid things. You may have to continuously give details and confirm things so they stop worrying. But for the friend with the anxiety, it’s much more complicated than that. These are some things I want you to know as a person with anxiety.

 

1. I don’t plan on cancelling plans. I’m eager to go and catch up or hang out, but on the day or night before, I have an overwhelming sense of worry, thinking how something might happen when I’m out or even having some completely irrational thought (that I know is irrational but can’t shake off).

2. I obsess over things sometimes. The obsession over small things or big things is either about over-worrying or finding a safe place for me. Sometimes it can be both.

3. Things have to be planned 100 percent. I might get lost, not know the time, not know the venue, might not know people… anything. I need all details so I can stop worrying about them. Usually I need to hear them more than once to be completely sure.

4. Please be patient… I freak out at things I know won’t hurt me, but in my mind, they will. Loud noises or other triggers may send me into a world of panic and as annoying as it may be for you, it feels like my world is crumbling down.

5. I’m trying. I’ve tried everything.

Please don’t tell me some things to try. I have tried pretty much everything in the book. From exercise and eating healthy to meditation and therapy. It takes time for me to heal enough to “function” properly. Some of us never fully heal. But everyone will get to the stage they want to be at… Please give us time.

6. Sometimes I feel hypersensitive. Every touch, noise, light, etc., may be painful. If I don’t give you a hug, please don’t be upset. I may be having a period of hypersensitivity.

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Photo by Jacob Ufkes, via Unsplash