General anxiety disorder is when someone worries more than the average person and becomes more nervous and anxious about very simple things. For people with anxiety, it can be scary to want to get out of bed in the morning, or to see a doctor for help. Getting support with anxiety can be the best thing for you, there are reasons why and I will go into them with you in the article. Getting support can become a life changer for you, helping you to cope and manage your mental illness.
What does support mean?
A simple way to put it is that support is to get help if you need it or to assist someone who may need it. To support someone with anxiety and other mental illnesses means you are helping them to deal with their mental illness or find ways to cope and handle their feelings. It also helps them to feel fewer negative feelings and to learn ways to cope with those feelings to bring them a positive experience throughout the day! Helping them may help them to learn about their anxiety, make them get through studies or work, and overall help to get them through their life.
How to get support
Getting support is super easy, however with anxiety it may be scary to go alone and ask for support. You can easily get support by just talking to your GP alone or with a family member or friend. If you are too nervous to go alone always ask a friend or someone from your family that you trust. If you wish to go to a therapist or counselor you can always ask your GP or research and get some private therapy or counseling by simply using the internet to send emails or using your phone.
Helplines are also really good, most helplines allow you to talk anonymously which is good if you’re nervous. Your details stay confidential and you can access helplines 24/7 most of the time. You can ask your GP or research online if you wish to know any helplines.
Types of support for anxiety
Just like most mental illnesses, there are many types of support you can get or give yourself. Things like being with family, speaking with your GP, and so on. There are also ways you can support yourself. I wanted to make a list of them first before going into why it is important so that you get a general understanding of what support you can get.
- Speak to your GP – they can give you advice on anxiety and maybe medication to help you cope.
- Therapies – therapies offer a way to help you cope with your feelings by offering you a chance to speak to a specialist but this is long-term.
- Counseling – quite similar to therapies, this is where you can talk with a trained specialist which allows you a chance to find ways to cope with your feelings and usually is short term.
- Researching about anxiety
- Learning new relaxation techniques
- Adjusting your diet or making changes to what you eat
- Finding new tasks you may enjoy or hobbies to take your mind off things
- Support groups – this allows you to speak openly to a group of people who also have anxiety and you can learn a lot from others. Learn new ways to cope by asking others how they did it.
- Seeking emotional support from parents or siblings
- Helplines
- Self-care: Meditation, yoga, exercise, etc.
Why is it important to get support with your anxiety?
Getting support is always important especially if you need help to cope with your mental illness. Support can offer you a system to help you fix a routine that helps you to get back on track with your daily lifestyle. Some people may suffer anxiety more than others however support is just as important for everyone who suffers from any mental illness as there are often repercussions when it comes to not getting the help that you may need. Support can offer you the chance to regain your confidence, learn coping methods and maybe help you in the process learn more about your anxiety giving you the knowledge for the future.
Repercussions of not getting support with anxiety
Getting no support when you suffer from anxiety can be a bad thing, it’s important to seek support when things get tough but never to hide it and always to get the help you need in order to make you feel better. However, not getting support has major consequences which can lead to long-term negative effects.
The effects of not getting support with your anxiety can include:
- May become too anxious to leave the house or even your bedroom
- Could become angry, aggressive because of the bottled up feelings
- Lack of sleep and fatigue due to overthinking make it hard for you to focus
- Diet changes that may lead to obesity or anorexia or maybe body dysmorphia
- Avoiding social interactions puts you at risk of loneliness and depression
- Refuses to go to school, college, university, or work meaning you may lose your job or fail in classes.
- Suicidal thoughts
- Constant stress
Conclusion
Support is important, especially with mental illnesses like anxiety. Having that support bubble can really make you feel better and you will find your day-to-day life doesn’t suffer because you have that support. Finding the right support for yourself or the one suffering from anxiety can take some time but once you have found the right one for you, you know you can use it for your own good and this in return really makes it much easier to cope with your mental illness and you won’t have to bear it alone. Having support gives them a sense of safety. It’s important to know you’re not alone and others suffer mental illness too! So once you have found the support you need, always stick to it for your own mental health and educate others around you to give them the knowledge.