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Anxiety can add a lot of stress to your relationship. Fact.
Even though anxiety has been an everyday constant in my life since I was 11 years old, I’ve felt my anxiety severely increase due to my separation anxiety from my boyfriend.
It’s added a lot of strain on our relationship, but it has also made our relationship that much stronger.
If your partner has anxiety, read these 5 ways you can help them.
If you’re the one who has anxiety, try sharing this post with your partner and communicating the ways they can help you!
5 Ways You Can Help Your Partner Through Anxiety
1. ACKNOWLEDGE THE ANXIETY
When you are around someone so often, you are bound to pick up on anxiety symptoms as they arise.
Pay extra attention to your partner and how they react to certain situations.
My first signs of having anxiety are either me shutting down and becoming really quiet or me getting very angry at a moment’s notice.
Don’t try and make your partner’s anxiety invisible, because, trust me, that’ll make it a lot worse.
Acknowledge that its presence is there.
When anxiety comes a’knocking, answer the door. Tell it, “Hey anxiety. I know you’re here, but I have not invited you into my house. Please go away.”
Then try and close the door. Gently.
The sooner you can address their anxiety and try to remedy it, the sooner it can dissipate.
That means they’re less likely to have an anxiety attack.
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2. BE FULLY PRESENT
One of the worst things you could do when your partner is panicking is to act like you don’t want to deal with them.
That you can’t stand being there for them.
Being on your phone and not having a reaction to their anxiety is one of the biggest mistakes you could make.
They need to know that you are there for them.
Don’t ever leave someone alone when they are panicking.
If you must, stay in the next room until the attack passes.
No one likes to feel alone.
Just knowing that my boyfriend is next to me can start to make me feel more at peace.
If I leave the room and he is waiting for me when I get back, it is one of the most comforting feelings.
3. PATIENCE, PATIENCE, PATIENCE
Patience might be just about the hardest feat when having to deal with an anxiety-ridden loved one, day in and day out.
It gets frustrating. Believe me, I know.
I also know that sometimes a person with anxiety will be the last person you’ll want to be around.
But as soon as I feel someone’s patience starting to unwind, I start to unravel.
My anxiety intensifies, and I start to crumble under the pressure of trying to calm my mind.
People with anxiety understand the inconvenience and the frustration we sometimes cause. We’re not perfect.
Try and realize it’s really hard to be nice and kind when your thoughts are in a constant hurricane.
Our thoughts are the rain from the clouds, and our words are the roar of the trees.
Trust me. We WILL feel worse if we are constantly reminded of our faults.
Even though anxiety is very difficult to deal with, I recommend asking yourself, “Is this worth getting angry over?”
Will you even remember the frustration a week from now? I doubt it.
Daily journaling is a great way to manage your anxiety. Check out these journal prompts!
4. DO NOT ASSUME
Like I said before, anxiety can be incredibly confusing at times.
I may say one thing out of anxiety, but then the rest of me means something completely different.
For instance, just because I said I didn’t want to go to the mall one day doesn’t mean I don’t want to go now.
Just like just because I said I wanted to go yesterday doesn’t mean I want to go today.
This is why it’s vital to communicate. Communicate before and during the event.
And if we want to discuss the event afterwards, please respect that.
Remember, half the time we can’t even comprehend what we’re thinking because of our anxiety.
5. MAKE AN ANXIETY KIT
Other than your partner, you know their anxiety the best.
What calms them? Is it music? Is it a distraction?
My boyfriend does this wonderful thing where he asks me to talk about a memory. If that doesn’t work, he’ll ask me a simple math problem.
Times when my anxiety is really high, he’ll place his hands over my ears and help me block out the rest of the world.
He tries and tries again until he’s successful.
Anti-Anxiety Kit
If nothing seems to be working, you have the option to make them a physical anti-anxiety kit.
Learn how you can make one here.
You have the option to be their best friend through anxiety. You can support them, try to understand them, and try to help them overcome their anxiety.
I promise, if you can help your partner with anxiety, you can help them with anything.
Do you have any tips that help your partner fight anxiety? Tell us in the comments below!
Related articles:
- 6 Things to Do When Panic Sets In
- How it Really Feels to Have Social Anxiety
- How to Overcome a Rough Patch by Strengthening Your Relationship
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Online Therapy makes professional counseling available anytime, anywhere.
You can get counseling in four ways:
- Exchanging messages
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- Speaking over the phone
- Video conferencing
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