Anxiety impacts millions of people. Some might hide their symptoms better than others, but if you know someone who deals with it, understand that they’re likely struggling with fearful, negative thoughts more often than not.

It can be difficult to see someone you care about dealing with anxiety. You might even feel helpless when it comes to knowing what to do to support them — but you don’t have to be.

There are plenty of ways you can help someone with anxiety and potentially ease their symptoms. Let’s cover a few of those suggestions so you can start to take action for the people in your life struggling with anxious thoughts.

1. Learn More About Anxiety

As the old saying goes, knowledge is power. Because anxiety is such a common mental health condition, learning as much as possible about it is the first step in being able to help someone.

In addition to learning general information, don’t hesitate to talk to your friends and loved ones dealing with it. Ask how it makes them feel, what they struggle with the most, and what you can specifically do to help.

2. Offer Practical Help

Anxiety can often be overwhelming and take over nearly every aspect of life. One thing you can do for those you care about is to offer help in practical ways.

Take care of their kids for a couple of hours so they can rest. Go grocery shopping for them to take that stress off of their plate. These small, practical solutions will go a long way.

3. Be an Active Listener

People with anxiety don’t always want to open up about how they’re feeling, but if someone you know does, make sure you’re an active listener.

Actively listening goes beyond simply hearing what someone has to say. Let them know you truly want to understand by avoiding distractions, giving them your full attention, asking questions, and using both verbal and non-verbal cues to let them know you’re invested.

4. Check In Regularly

Unfortunately, anxiety doesn’t typically go away on its own. Supporting someone who is struggling with it often means checking in frequently.

Sometimes, just asking that person how they’re doing and if there’s anything you can do to help will go a long way for them. It will let them know they are seen and valued, and that someone is out there who truly cares about their well-being.

5. Be a Self-Care Accountability Partner

Self-care is important for everyone. But, it’s especially good for people dealing with anxiety. Self-care looks different for everyone, but things like daily physical activity, eating healthy meals, meditating, or practicing mindfulness can all be great ways to combat anxiety.

You can hold your loved one (and yourself) accountable by doing some of these activities with them or checking in to make sure they’re doing them on their own. Simple self-care practices can reduce stress and quiet negative self-talk.

6. Encourage Professional Help

Again, anxiety doesn’t typically go away on its own. However, with the right help and support, people dealing with it can practice symptom management and get to the root cause of their anxious thoughts, eventually learning how to fight back against them.

The best way to do that is by working with an experienced therapist.

Therapy can help someone with anxiety learn more about why they’re dealing with such negative thoughts so they can truly start to heal. Anxiety therapy will help them feel safe and supported while they rally against the negativity anxiety often causes.

There are plenty of ways you can help someone with anxiety, but you don’t have to be a one-person support system. Encourage your loved one to contact me to set up an appointment soon.