April 4, 2018 at 5:30 p.m.
Ashlyn Martin: Anxiety viewed from the outside
By By Ashlyn Martin-
I cannot tell you exactly what anyone in my family was thinking after realized what I was dealing with, but I can tell you that it was a heavy burden on all of them.
It is different than being physically hurt. If you scrape a knee, your mom can bandage it up and make you feel all better. If you break a bone, your dad can drive you to the doctor to get it taken care of. I'm not saying that anxiety is more painful than either of those things. I'm stating that it is much more difficult to heal something that you cannot touch.
I want this to be a little piece of advice for all of the people that deal with someone close to them who has anxiety.
I also want this to be a thank you. The truth is that you- a close friend, a parent, a sibling, whoever you are- are making a difference by wanting to help us.
Anxiety is something that you will not be able to help with, but you try anyway. You keep striving to keep us happy and upbeat. You keep loving us, no matter what. Even when it seems endless and all we want to do is give up, you don't let us.
Even though it seems like you are not making a difference, you are. The best I can say is to be patient with us, be kind to us, let us be alone when we need it, and talk us through it whenever we ask. Help us by listening.
That's all we can ask.[[In-content Ad]]
