Under Pressure

(Sorry, had to!)

Anxiety.  It's a thing that WAY too many people deal with every day.  Some people deal with a lot, others not so much.  Some people deal with it all the time... and others deal with it more infrequently. 

The thing with anxiety is, that not everyone experiences it, copes with it, or has it triggered the same way.  It's not the flu.

We've all seen panic attacks on TV.  Sadly, not all of them happen as advertised.

Most of the time when I am having anxiety issues, I fall under the "rage or irritability" category.  I get all "Oh HELL no!" and "This is so stupid!"  I can also get rather angry.  I have been known to obsessively clean my house when feeling rather anxious.

Actually I tend to get super indecisive when I'm feeling rather anxious. Like paralyzed with indecision!  Most of the time it leaves me stuck at home with a severe case of "fear of missing out."  Like many, I tend to hermit when I'm anxious.

Sometimes I run scenarios in my head, trying to pre-plan the way things will go.  This generally is super unhelpful and leads to the worst possible conclusions.

Now is it this way all the time?  Of course not.  It's not even most of the time.  I have my triggers, and times of year when things are worse.  Right now things aren't as awesome as other times, but I honestly think a few vacation days and a deep clean of my house will do wonders.

There are ways to combat anxiety.  Some people use medication.  I'm not at that point yet.  I try to use deep breathing, mini-brain breaks when I'm at work.  Sleep and exercise actually do wonders for me.  When my anxiety is due to new situations locations, having friends around helps.

Anxiety is rather prevalent these days.  Or at least it's being called for what it is. 

Many people that I know suffer in one way or another.  Some are medicated, some aren't.  Everyone's different.

The one thing that all anxiety sufferers share is the desire to never hear dismissive comments from others ever again.  The unhelpful comments about how being vegan will make all of your problems ago away.  The cries of "What do you have to be anxious about?" And a thousand other comments aren't helpful or appreciated.

What can you do to help someone with anxiety issues?