Advice for Friends, Partners, and Family of Anxiety Sufferers.
-
Sometimes family and partners can suffer too when a loved one has
an anxiety disorder or a very serious phobia. For these people it is
often very difficult to understand why you can't or won't do
something as everyday as driving on the freeway or going to a crowded
supermarket. Things can get even trickier when partners, spouses and
family members realise that you will not go on holiday with them. On
the dark side many marriages and relationships have bee finished off
by anxiety disorders and particularly agoraphobia.
- Be open and honest about what you are feeling, don't try and hide anything.
- Take a book from the library or find them information from the Internet.
- Explain to them that the pressure they are putting you under is not helping.
- Explain that you can't “just pull yourself together”, and that if you could you would have already.
- Remind them that it is worse for you, despite their griping and incredulation.
- That said, their nagging can be harnessed to motivate you to move forwards.
- And showing them progress will help, so now is the time to act!
- Stick up for yourself! Taking control of your life is always a great help when getting over anxiety.
So what can be done to minimize the stress this puts on you and those around you? Here's a list of tips for the sufferer, underneath are some for the family.