When you have anxiety it can really make your relationships with others a bit more complex than those without anxiety might realize. Sure, things overall are pretty normal but at the back of your mind, you’re always worrying about something.
Loving someone with anxiety whether it’s a romantic relationship, a friendship, or someone in your family you need to know that things aren’t going to be the same as they would be with someone else. Sure, it might feel the same and you might love them as much as you would someone else but they need a little more reassurance than some of the other people in your life. People with anxiety might try to push you away to avoid you leaving them or they might even cling to you more-so than you’re used to.
As someone with anxiety, I can tell you it’s not easy to just trust the people who come into your life. Whether they’ve been by your side for a while or they’re brand new, you have a very hard time putting your guard down. When you truly love someone with anxiety doing small things to help them be more comfortable can really make a big difference in how they feel as a whole.
Even just answering their texts without making them wait all day can really reassure them that you truly care. You see, texting you at all is hard for them because they don’t want to bother you, when you respond in a reasonable manner it makes them more aware that you do want to talk to them and helps them to understand that they’re not getting on your nerves.
It is also important to not merely respond with one word, sure sometimes that’s fine but at first, this is something that will make the person with anxiety feel like they’ve done something wrong. I know, this might not sound like much but it can make a big difference for them and it doesn’t hurt you at all to do it, does it?
Sure, sometimes you can talk them down and get things under control but not always, and don’t take the situations you can’t fix to heart. Anxiety is not easy and it’s not something the person with it can just turn off. When you can’t make things better, just being there and comforting this person can really make them feel a lot more cared for and is more than enough. When you find yourself truly close to someone with anxiety you’ll begin to realize that they love deeply and care more than most.
They will do things that they otherwise wouldn’t just to help you out and while they struggle sometimes and might not always want to go out, they are very fun and really know how to make the most of each moment before them. Sometimes seeing them during an attack might be hard to handle and they aren’t going to hold it against you if you need a little space after things are said and done. They understand a lot and know that for people on the outside looking in that things may seem intense.
Anxiety is not something you can predict it is something you must take day by day. It’s rough and not easy to handle, those who have it are just trying to live their lives as best they can, and while they may for the most part do just fine, sometimes they will fall apart. We all go through different things in life and this is no different, honestly.
Don’t act like this is a big deal or like it’s something that will ruin the life of the person facing it. Anxiety is not who this person is, it is just a part of their life. They have good days and bad days just like everyone else does.
Honestly, the most important thing that you can have is compassion when it comes to loving anyone, especially someone with anxiety. We’re all human and while they might be going through something you’re not able to fully understand allowing your compassion to flow speaks volumes. At the end of the day, if you love them then you love them.