I have anxiety: how do I tell my environment?

Anxiety problems not only produce discomfort from the immediate experience of noticing how feelings related to stress and anguish spread through our body.

In addition, they put us in the complex situation of having to manage our personal relationships at the same time that we suffer that excess of anxiety, and of explain what happens to us to avoid misunderstandings, so that others can take it into account and, if necessary, so that they can help us in key moments

In this article I will offer several tips about how to explain to people around you that you have an anxiety problem In day to day.

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The main thing you should know about anxiety problems

Let's start with the key ideas that you need to understand in order to know what anxiety problems are. This is a term used to refer in a general way to a set of experiences associated with discomfort, which have to do with anxiety, and which subtract more quality of life than the one that contribute.

Secondly, anxiety is a completely natural psychological and physiological phenomenon and that in most cases it has nothing to do with any psychopathology; in fact, it is a resource that helps us survive and adapt to life's complications, predisposing us to be alert in special situations and to react quickly to avoid dangers and unnecessary risks.

However, as with any other biological or psychological trait, what is normally adaptive, can lead to alterations in health (physical or mental, respectively).

As anxiety is always linked to a specific context and on the other hand it is related to the way in which we have learned to manage emotions, almost without realizing it we can develop a maladaptive way of living the anxiety.

In some cases this causes us to suffer general discomfort caused by excessively high levels of anxiety, and in more cases extreme, this discomfort takes a qualitative leap and becomes part of a psychopathology, such as any of the disorders of anxiety (phobias, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, etc.).

On the other hand, there are other psychopathologies that are also capable of making us too anxious: major depression, OCD, drug addiction, etc. That is all anxiety disorders or anxiety problems, but not all anxiety problems are psychological disorders.

But regardless of whether we suffer from a psychological disorder that is behind our anxiety problem, what we do when interacting with the environment and managing our emotions and thoughts can help us overcome discomfort and gain quality of life. Of course, in the event that we suffer from psychopathology, it will be essential to go to therapy.

• You may be interested in: "Types of Anxiety Disorders and their characteristics"

How do I communicate that I have anxiety problems?

When communicating with your environment everything related to your anxiety problem, keep the following tips in mind.

1. Don't use "labels" to describe your essence

As we have seen, anxiety problems are always linked to a certain context and a history of previous learning, which you may have consciously or unconsciously carried out. That is the fact that you frequently feel anxious does not say too much about the core of your identity, nor does it describe your essence.

Keep this in mind when explaining what is happening to you, since if you use stigmatizing labels with you, you will be predisposing others to do so as well. You are not an anxious person, but you are in a situation that generates anxiety problems, which can go away just as they have come.

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2. Use examples

Anxiety is a complex phenomenon, and it is difficult to understand what it consists of by sticking to abstract ideas. Better that you combine them with examples and practical cases about how anxiety problems affect you in your day to day.

3. Explain how what happens to you can affect your relationships

It is important that you put special emphasis on the social implications of your anxiety problems, since explaining this part is the one that has the most practical utility. Of course, if you want your interlocutor to understand you at a deeper level, also explore the other areas of your life.

• You may be interested in: "What is social psychology?"

4. Make it clear that your reaction to anxiety spikes is not something you choose

Extreme anxiety has the ability to make us lose control of what we do. For this reason, it is important that others understand that what we do in those moments does not represent us as much as what we do at any other time. This way you will avoid misunderstandings.

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Are you looking for psychological support?

If you find yourself in a difficult situation where you need professional psychological support, I invite you to contact me.

My name is Javier Ares and I am a psychologist specialized in emotional and relationship problems; I can assist you both in my consultation in Madrid or through the online therapy modality.