I experienced my first panic attack when I was a freshman in high school. At the time, I was 14 and suddenly began to feel light-headed and experience this odd tingly sensation in my hands and feet. At that moment, I seriously thought I was experiencing a heart attack because I had no idea what was happening to my body. I cannot recall exactly what stemmed this panic attack, however, I knew that what I was going through was not a typical bodily reaction one has. I, along with 40 million Americans, are examples of people dealing with anxiety and anxiety disorders. Although anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness, people fail to understand how this mental illness works and how they can help those experiencing it. So, what can you do to help you or someone you know with anxiety or anxiety-related disorders?
Before I jump into the tips researched, I want to emphasize that telling someone to “relax” is not the correct approach to this whatsoever. Personally, I have received this statement one too many times before finding healthy coping mechanisms and it does not help. As one is feeling on edge and other undesired emotions associated with anxiety, we are trying to relax but simply do not know how to. By stating this, it adds this additional pressure to figure out what is going on with ourselves when we simply are not sure. It is still an appreciated gesture, but not the most appropriate tactic to help. I also want people to understand the wide range of symptoms people experience before providing useful tips.
What are some symptoms of someone is experiencing anxiety? These symptoms can be categorized into 3 types: physical, mental, and behavioral. Let’s start with physical. Johns Hopkins reported that some physical symptoms include:
Lightheadedness
Sweating
Nausea
Feeling edgy and/or restless
Shortness of breath
Diarrhea
Easily fatigued
These physical symptoms do not cover all of the symptoms associated with a panic attack, which is a symptom of an anxiety disorder called a panic disorder. Some physical symptoms reported by the Mayo Clinic of a panic attack include:
Rapid, pounding heart rate
Sweating, trembling or shaking
Shortness of breath or tightness in your throat
Nausea
Chest pain
Headache
Numbness or tingling sensation
The next category is mental symptoms. What are people with anxiety thinking of or about? According to Johns Hopkins, they report people with anxiety to think the following:
The worst is going to happen
Constantly worrying
Have to engage in an All-or-nothing mentality
Oversimplify situations, meaning these people make overall basic assumptions from a singular event they experienced.
Lastly, there are the behavioral symptoms. These behaviors are what people typically engage in if they experience anxiety:
Avoiding situations or events that provoke personal fear
Always looking for reassurance
Second-guessing or doubting themselves
Irritable and frustrated in scary situations
Engaging in compulsive actions, such as excessive hand washing
Now being aware of the symptoms, what can you do to help yourself and others? Here are some tips backed by Johns Hopkins Medicine, Psychology Today, and The Greater Good Science Center:
Express your concern if you are helping someone with anxiety
Understand how people demonstrate they are experiencing anxiety (it is different for everyone!)
Tailor your support to their preferences and attachment style
Help someone who is anxious understand their thinking (example: asking them what’s realistically going to happen in a given situation)
Offer support, but don’t take over by suppressing how they feel
Engage in exercise or physical activity
Practice meditation or breathing exercises
Identify and balance anxious thoughts. (example: if you don't get an email reply immediately, does that automatically imply bad news?)
Amidst all of these tips, the last one I want to mention is to not stigmatize people with anxiety. It is crucial to understand that in order to help yourself and others, you cannot successfully do that until you remove any stigmas you have around anxiety. If you or someone you love is believed to have anxiety that inhibits daily life, seek out and contact professional help as soon as possible.