anxiety (~)
it's okay to experience anxiety. it's okay to talk about it. you may not know how, or what it comes from, but you are valid even with anxiety.
eliminating it isn't a matter of a brute-force attack, but a long process of talking to yourself and receptive people* about it.
while it's a common thing, I suspect that there's a special way q folks experience it and I want to hug alla y'all
*next toot
anxiety (~)
how do you know if someone is being receptive in a good way? how to be a good support for someone with anxiety?
it is: listen, offer experiences and realistic assessments. not all anxiety is unfounded. proper boundaries can help mitigate it, and this sometimes means being real about the worrying thing
it is not: downplaying it, "everyone feels like that sometimes," generalizing it or trying to invalidate it. not "that's a silly fear."
yes: listening & empathy
no: denying it