Can Compassion help Improve Mental Health?
We all are familiar with the term anxiety but have you ever thought about what it must be like for the people who go through it? Let's try seeing it from their perspective.
People with anxiety suffer from unwanted thoughts that go against their values hence causing them to feel disgusted or depressed. There is always a fear in them that what if the thoughts that appear to them become true. It's hard not to focus on them. Wonder what the thoughts are like? They can vary from something very common to something that is not ordinary. Thoughts like “what if I fail my task?”, which might not be a big deal for you, might be something frightening for people with anxiety. Sometimes the thoughts can also be something that people with no anxiety might be oblivious of. Thoughts like if you do not finish this task or compulsion, the earth or the floor will start cracking or there will be other dire consequences.
But the question is what can be done if someone you know is an "anxiety worrior"? How can you support them in their journey from an anxiety worrier to an "anxiety warrior"? The answer is very simple: Compassion. Compassion is so crucial that it tends to be an invisible part of all kinds of relationships.
How you can support your anxious loved ones?
Talking it out. Talk with them about what sort of thoughts they are having, sometimes they will fear judgment and might not tell the problems they are facing but keep working on it and make them comfortable. Eventually, they will discuss it with you.
Monitor their anxiety periods and thoughts. If it is someone close to you, you can even help them by asking them to monitor their thoughts and the duration of their anxiety, and how long they were able to not react to their unwanted feelings. This way you can keep checking on them and help them overcome this phase.
Encourage them to meditate and exercise. Mostly, people with anxiety are found to be low on Serotonin which is the “happy hormone” or in other words the hormone that balances the mood. Things like exercise and meditation can help improve their quality of life and increase their Serotonin levels.
Ending note
If you know someone with anxiety, show some compassion towards them and bring your beloved ones out of it so that they can live their life without these unwanted thoughts and feelings of fear.