4 Things You Shouldn’t Say To Someone With Anxiety

Anxiety is like being dropped into the ocean when you don’t no how to swim. The more you do to try and keep yourself afloat, the harder it becomes to stay stable. Here are 5 statements to avoid telling somebody who suffers from anxiety (myself included), in order to help them get through it.

1. “Calm down.” If you’re looking to be verbally assaulted, tell somebody who suffers from anxiety to calm down. I can promise you that it will have a reverse effect, and not only will they remain frantic, but their level of irrationality will sore even greater. It’s just not as easy as it sounds.

2. “Get over it.” Much like calm down, telling somebody with anxiety to get over whatever it is that they are stressing about will never go well. They won’t get over it just because you told them to, they’ll get over it on their own time. Plus it’s a good way to make them feel insignificant.

3. “I don’t understand why you’re freaking out over this.” Little things can very easily become big things to a person that suffers from anxiety. You may not think it’s a big deal, but to them, it’s the end of the world. The best way to help them get through it is by reminding them that they overcame this obstacle before. Do tell them that you believe in them. The power that is housed in such a small statement is undeniable.

4. “Snap out of it.” Pretty similar to get over it, but if you’ve never experienced the paralyzing feeling of anxiety, you will never understand.