The term anxiety He defines an emotion characterized by concerns about the anticipation of a potential danger or future negative event and is accompanied by sensations of threats and physiological modifications.
THE’anxiety It can have an adaptive function aimed at identifying and preparing for possible future risks or it can be useful in the moments when we need to overcome a challenge or a task and this requires physical or mental effort.
While the fear assumes the function of mobilizing with the aim of facing an immediate danger, theanxiety It seems to be activated in a preventive way, even when there is no apparent specific stimulus present.
A certain dose of anxiety It can be useful in facing daily life and sometimes necessary in times when we must be performing with respect to the task, but the mechanism that supports it can freeze when it becomes disproportionate to the stimuli of trigger or expectations with respect to resources to face them.
We talk about anxiety disorders When the discomfort becomes clinically significant for persistence, intensity or frequency compared to the development stage. Anxiety can manifest itself with cognitive symptoms, physical symptoms And behavioral symptoms And often what maintains anxiety itself is not so much the event itself or the feared situation, as the thoughts we have with respect to the event or as we set it in the future.
The gravity and impact of anxious disorders They may vary from person to person and this depends on the interaction of temperamentary factors, educational environment, life events and vulnerability factors. However, for those who experience it, it is likely that this influences their personal life, their relationships, their ability to work, study and other activities in the life of the individual who can be more or less visible from the outside.
Considering the prevalence of these ailments and their potential impact, a question that many people are asked is “what to do if you suffer from anxiety” and “how to help someone suffering from anxiety”. Undoubtedly the support of other significant can be essential to help the person improve and overcome the problems he faces but sometimes, even well -intentioned actions may appear harmful for those who live them due to their current state of suffering. There are some indications to keep in mind and some strategies that may be more useful than others.
For those who live the anxious disorder It may be important to develop adequate coping strategies, or skills aimed at facing the anxious situation both mentally and behavioral level. It is fundamental to recognize the different manifestations of anxious symptoms and the factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of the disorders themselves.
For the cognitive-behavioral therapy the anxiety disorderslike those of mood would be negatively influenced by cognitive distortions, or pathogenic dysfunctional beliefs that contribute to the development and maintenance of suffering. Emotions and behavioral reactions would be so interconnected to the way we think and dysfunctional thoughts.
One of the typical reasoning of the anxious disorders is the Better Safe Than Smry (bsts)that is, in the face of a threatening event, an assessment oriented towards privileging fear and alarm as a frontal of danger would be activated, rather than a reaction of non -alarm and consequent risk of meeting any future damage.
The consequence is that the hypothesis of danger will be tended to overestimate, even when the risk is residual, in order to prevent the threat, thus avoiding the errors of underestimating the damage and underestimating the real skills in the face of the event. The dysfunctional thoughts connected to these themes can thus generate the vicious circles of anxiety. The anxiety management interventions proposed by cognitive therapy provide:
–cognitive interventions as psychoeducation on cognitive and physiological mechanisms of anxiety; cognitive renovation of dysfunctional beliefs related to anxiety; normalization and acceptance of anxiety itself; etc.
–behavioral interventions as relaxation exercises; Entemptive and in vivo exposure, etc.
It is therefore important to identify the dysfunctional thoughts that generate anxiety wondering what I think in anxious situations (e.g. “I will make a fool!”) And the feared consequences about anxiety -making thought. Recognizing the pathogenic thoughts and beliefs that support the disorder (e.g. “I must always be prepared!”) And the emotions and behaviors associated with them can help break the vicious circles linked to the various anxious disorders, to use more functional forms of thought and increase the level of acceptance of their emotional states and feared situations.
There are no general guidelines to help those suffering from anxiety disorders, also because anxiety can manifest themselves in many different ways, depending on the personal history of the subject, the biology and experiences of the individual. It is therefore important to adapt the strategies to the specific person and listen to the individual’s feedback.
Those who find themselves in contact with people who suffer from anxiety disorders may not know the mechanisms that support the emotional unease connected to these disorders, but can still have a decisive role to help those who suffer from acquiring awareness, to ask for help and not feel guilty or unable for their problem.
Some useful suggestions may be summarized in the following points:
- Inquire: It is first important to document and acquire knowledge of the problem to be able to understand the experience of those suffering from anxious disorders and have an idea of the main manifestations and therapeutic perspectives.
- Show empathy: It is important to recognize that what the other is experiencing is real, that it can be difficult and even the smallest things, they can appear to his eyes much more complicated. Being empathetic means putting himself in the role of the other person and learning from his experience what it means to experience anxiety at pathological levels. A contemptuous or judging approach aimed at trivializing or denying anxious experience does not help to overcome the problem.
- Avoid suggestions and advice: avoid providing simplistic and do-it-yourself solutions by passing them off for effective, or aimed at believing that it would be enough to try more hard to be able to go out. It is more useful to ask the person directly if he wants some advice or what strategies he has already experienced.
- Listen effectively: Listening is one of the best ways to offer support. It involves giving the person all the attention he needs, showing himself in the conversation and actively engaged in sharing the problem. Listening to the thoughts and worries that pass through the head of those suffering from anxious disorders, in a non -judgmental and acceptant way, allows the person who is suffering to open up and feel welcomed.
- Offer concrete help where possible: Anxiety can compromise normal daily life and in this case the person can appreciate practical help. You can ask what the person needs or offer to do something specific, ensuring that he has obtained the consent of the person himself for the help he is offering. You can encourage the person to contact a professional. This can be experienced as a discouraging and therefore it may be important to guide him until the choice or stay close to him on this path.
- Respect the autonomy and abilities of the person: Even if people who suffer from anxiety could experience some limitations, this does not mean that they cannot live their autonomy or are unable to do things. First of all, it is important to avoid “trivializing” the beliefs of those suffering from anxious disorders about the difficulty facing certain situations. Even a very simple task may appear insurmountable. For example, tell him “It’s not a big problem, relax!” It is devaluing and frustrating. However, it is also important not to get to replace completely, for example in the tasks of daily life, risking to cover with the disorder and maintain the mechanisms that support it.
- Encourage the person to ask for help: Despite the support of nearby people, there is a precious resource for those suffering from anxiety, when it becomes pathological, the person may need professional help, while not realizing it. Especially when the quality of life or operation is significantly compromised. Encourage the person to receive therapeutic help may not be well accepted, but necessary for the well -being of the person. You can offer you to help find the professional appropriate to the problem presented and to accompany the person who suffers from a first interview, if agreed, but certainly it is not possible to replace the role of a specialist.
- Show support: In the event that the person who suffers from an anxious disorder has started a psychotherapy path, it is necessary to support it even outside the interview time. It will be important to reinforce each small step and the goals achieved even when the improvements can appear minimal. Therapy needs the time and rhythms necessary to adapt to the patient’s history and symptoms and does not require external forcing or impositions that could constitute a further source of anxiety. In addition, it can be useful to support the person in the moments when he is facing more stressful periods to prepare for small “slips”, but without catastrophilize or devalue the objectives already achieved. Keeping an encouraging and validating attitude can help maintain commitment to therapy.
- Maintain their own balance: help those suffering from an anxiety disorder can be difficult and cause frustration and stress. It is primarily important to take care of ourselves and be aware of how much help we can offer and what our limits or their emotional state are. If you find out you are too exhausted or emotionally fatigued it is necessary to reduce or reduce the support you are able to offer. Establishing boundaries in the context of care can make us feel guilty or worried about the other, but it can be very important to safeguard the relationship and not become a source of maintenance and reinforcement for the disorder itself, for example by providing excessive and exhausting reassurances. It is possible to place limits, still preserving a firm, but empathetic attitude. Finally, it is essential not to load your dear that suffers from an anxious disorder also of our concern or the alarm experienced for its condition. It is absolutely normal to worry about the person we are close to, but perceive you in panic or guilty will not help it. Therefore it is legitimate to indulge in a detachment or your own personal space aimed at recovering one’s well -being if there is a need.
