how to decode a person with an anxiety disorder

slothbrothel:

things we are trying to do all the time:

  1. be safe

things we can’t help but do all the time:

  1. second-guess ourselves
  2. behave impulsively and reactively
  3. worry
  4. have difficulty accepting compliments
  5. have difficulty reciprocating friendly gestures
  6. have difficulty finding the courage to respond
  7. have difficulty not being suspicious of others’ intentions

things you should keep in mind:

  1. we’re scared of everything
  2. pretty much all of the time
  3. it’s an actual disorder
  4. it manifests as impulsive behavior
  5. you can’t fix us with words
  6. also, we wear a lot of armor
  7. cold, heavy, affection-proof armor with spikes
  8. we constructed this armor as children
  9. we’re fairly certain you will never be able to pry it apart
  10. but there is a nice person under there, we promise

things you can do for a friend with an anxiety disorder:

  1. stick around
  2. ask them if they’re comfortable in a place or situation
  3. be willing to change the place or situation if not
  4. activities that help them take their mind off of things are good!
  5. talk to them even when they might not talk back
  6. try not to take their reactions (or lack thereof) personally
  7. give them time to respond to you
  8. they will obsess over how they are being interpreted
  9. they will anticipate being judged

things you shouldn’t do:

  1. tell us not to worry
  2. tell us we’ll be fine
  3. mistake praise for comfort
  4. ask us if we are “getting help”
  5. force us to be social
  6. force us to do things that trigger us
  7. “face your fears” doesn’t always work
  8. it would be more accurate to say we are scared of the fear itself

emergency action procedure for panic attacks:

  1. be calm
  2. be patient
  3. don’t be condescending
  4. remind us that we’re not “crazy”
  5. sit with us
  6. ask us to tighten and relax our muscles one by one
  7. remind us that we are breathing
  8. engage us in a discussion (if we can talk, then we can breathe)
  9. if we are having trouble breathing, try getting us to exhale slowly
  10. or breathe through our nose
  11. or have us put our hands on our stomach to feel each breath
  12. ask us what needs to change in our environment in order for us to feel safe
  13. help us change it
  14. usually, just knowing that we have someone on our side is enough to calm us down

mine is not always very severe. but. this is pretty accurate.

(Source : euclase)

Notes

  1. sunshine-eater a reblogué ce billet depuis i-care-about-it
  2. i-care-about-it a reblogué ce billet depuis m4g3
  3. cock-a-doodle-do-me a reblogué ce billet depuis theblackpuddlequeen
  4. browniebritt a reblogué ce billet depuis dsilza
  5. dsilza a reblogué ce billet depuis nissanissas
  6. unacceptablyyours a reblogué ce billet depuis melody-malone
  7. theoriginalglamwhore a reblogué ce billet depuis anxietycat
  8. ghostnate a reblogué ce billet depuis iuwaehfoaiuwhefoiaulfjqn
  9. cheerful-sensibility a reblogué ce billet depuis theartofnotwriting
  10. vanilanani a reblogué ce billet depuis professionalwhining
  11. professionalwhining a reblogué ce billet depuis theartofnotwriting
  12. raevfitta a reblogué ce billet depuis ravingredhead
  13. ravingredhead a reblogué ce billet depuis luminary-child
  14. kittenupdates a reblogué ce billet depuis beardscience
  15. wind-the-frog a reblogué ce billet depuis leeble
  16. leeble a reblogué ce billet depuis lizleminem
  17. shell35 a reblogué ce billet depuis trollcop
  18. luminary-child a reblogué ce billet depuis nissanissas
  19. -karissayoung a reblogué ce billet depuis theartofnotwriting
  20. erunks a reblogué ce billet depuis afoolinlovewithtime
  21. merewuf a reblogué ce billet depuis theartofnotwriting
  22. bellatrixs-evilcorner a reblogué ce billet depuis kittylicks
  23. mustachecat a reblogué ce billet depuis dub-dub