Anxiety can present itself in many shapes and forms, and it isn’t always easy to understand. Dating someone with a form of anxiety can have a detrimental effect not only on your relationship but on your own personal mind set. This isn’t at all to say that you should give up on someone battling mental health issues, as there are actually a lot of things you can do to help both your partner and yourself get through – here are the 10 best ways to deal with dating someone with anxiety.
It can be really daunting being in a relationship with someone struggling with anxiety, but the more you can help yourself to understand what they’re going through, the more you will be able to help them in the long term. If you know the specific type of anxiety they are suffering from, investigate the possible methods to cope with it. If you get informed it could help them to better understand their personal situation too. This will definitely help you in dating someone with anxiety.
When someone is battling with anxiety, their self-esteem is normally very low, so the best thing you can do is to try and boost that. Make sure that they know there is nothing to feel ashamed of and that what they are feeling is completely normal.
You need to be there to listen to them, and they need to be able to trust you for this reason. You might not understand how they are feeling, but try not to judge them based on any irregular or surprising behaviour you might witness.
You’re only human, and it’s only natural that you’re going to have moments of frustration, wondering why your partner can’t just overcome their battle with anxiety. However, your frustration will only demotivate them and could even damage their progress, so try and appear positive, show them love, and have patience.
Plan things for you and your partner so that you both have something to look forward to. You might not realise how positive your presence is in their life, so spending as much time together as possible could really improve their anxiety.
There might be times when they try and push you away, and it will be hurtful, but try and remind yourself that what they really need is companionship and support. Make sure they know that you’re always going to be there, whether that be in person or over the phone. This will really help you in dating someone with anxiety.
Anxiety can stir up a lot of emotions within an individual and cause them to say things they might not mean, so don’t hold a grudge if your partner upsets or offends you with their words or actions. Showing them that they deserve forgiveness will help them to be aware of their own self-worth.
Spend time outdoors, visit places you’ve never been before, try new foods – try and create exciting plans for you and your partner to enjoy together. A change of scene can have really positive effects on someone who struggles with anxiety, as it forces them out with their comfort zone and allows them to try new things.
Being able to recognise that you are making progress is so important in the struggle with anxiety, so make sure you let them know how proud you are of them. Remind them of how far they’ve come and that they should be proud of themselves everyday.
Although you should do your best to support your partner with their anxiety, it needs to be in a manner which is healthy for you. At the end of the day, your mental health is just as important as theirs and for that reason they need to be able to depend on people other than you too. Help them to seek additional support as well, whether it be in the form of family, a doctor or a mental health professional.
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