To help a person with anxiety from a distance, it is advisable to provide emotional support, actively listen and offer positive distractions such as playful activities or relaxation exercises, as well as suggesting seeking professional help or online resources that may be useful in reducing symptoms.
Today’s society imposes a complex pace of life that can lead to high levels of stress, discomfort, anguish and/or anxiety. However, sometimes people with anxiety lack fruitful resources to cope with the symptoms that arise from this condition. Although at first doubts may arise about how to help this person if they live far away, today the Internet and social networks have made it possible for us to communicate with another person from a distance more easily through different means. In this Psychology-Online article we will explain how to help a person with anxiety.
Offer to listen
People who suffer from anxiety need to be listened to, since the mere act of speaking allows them to vent their emotions. For this reason, offering listening to someone who is suffering via phone call, video call or in writing It can be relieving.
In turn, this represents a way of showing that person that they are not alone in their problems.
Show empathy
The is a quality that is based on putting ourselves in the other person’s shoes and try to let her know that she is understood. In this sense, people who suffer from high anxiety have the belief that no one will understand the emotions, thoughts and behaviors that are going through their lives.
For this reason, showing empathy is a good way to help a person with anxiety from a distance, as it will make them understand that they have people who can help them.
Recommend relaxing infusions
There are certain medicinal herbs that have relaxing effects on the body. Therefore, even though we are not physically with the person who suffers from anxiety, we can recommend that you take relaxing infusions such as, for example, passionflower, valerian, chamomile, linden, lavender, among others.
The objective of using this resource is that these herbs can promote relaxation of the central nervous system, which is a key factor in the development of anxiety symptoms. In this article you will find others.
Advise you to seek therapeutic help
If the person agrees, one of the most recommended options for the treatment of anxiety symptoms is psychological therapy. This device will provide valuable tools to reduce the intensity of symptoms own of this.
On the one hand, there are long-term psychological treatments that try to locate the origin of the problems so that you can adopt other solutions to what is happening to you. On the other hand, in short-term therapies we work on the emotions, thoughts and behaviors that cause certain mental conditions.
Share useful information about anxiety
When a person is suffering from high levels of stress and/or anxiety, confusion and uncertainty can take over the situation. Generally speaking, this occurs as a result of a lack of information about what is happening at a specific time.
For this reason, send you clear, concise and understandable information about Anxiety disorder can bring considerable relief to the person who is at a distance. The simple fact of understanding what is happening generates peace of mind since you have an idea about when the problems will end.
Practice remote activities with the person
Nowadays, the Internet and social networks allow the vast majority of people to be connected through electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets or computers, among others. These advances allow us to help a person with anxiety from a distance jointly practicing activities that reduce their discomfort.
However, it is important to clarify that the will of each human being must be respected, if they refuse to do so.
Encourage you to write about your emotions
It has long been known that writing is a valuable means of expressing personal conflicts that are a source of anguish, discomfort, uncertainty, anxiety or anger, among other negative emotions.
In general terms, anxiety is usually linked to a predominance of these types of sensations in both the body and the mind. For this reason, encourage the person to write down their thoughts and emotions It will be a fundamental tool so that you can distance yourself from your anxiety and see situations from another perspective.
Talk about sleep hygiene and nutrition
Finally, we should not overlook the importance of sleep and diet in the development of anxiety. Beyond any situation that can generate it, poor sleeping habits and incorrect eating patterns predispose to the generation of many mental health disorders.
For this reason, despite only being able to do it remotely, we can remind the person to get regular, restful sleep through various strategies that will help you achieve it. On the other hand, talking about the importance of maintaining a balanced diet can also help a person with anxiety from a distance.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Chacón Delgado, E., De la Cera, DX, Marisol Fernández, L., Murillo Arias, R. (2021). Generalities about anxiety disorder. Cúpula Magazine, 35 (1), 23-36.