by Dan Stelter

Created on: April 20, 2009

One important aspect of anxiety that I have not seen discussed in any other place, at least to my knowledge anyway, is educating others on how to interact with those that are anxious. Although this article is written with a slant towards social anxiety, the principles presented are general enough such that they can be applied to any anxiety condition.

Educating others about any mental health issue is a very challenging task, especially in America where those with mental health issues are regarded with a high level of stigma. While social anxiety can be a difficult topic to broach, anxiety in general seems to be a more or less socially accepted phenomenon such that once barriers between people are broken down, real education can begin. This first article on educating others will describe how to identify good candidates for anxiety education, and a couple methods for engaging them.

The first thing one needs to find is those who are willing to listen to others with empathy, as they are the best chance for education to take place. While educating those who are unwilling to learn about mental health conditions is necessary, it is very difficult (often impossible), and is probably a task better reserved for those with more experience and confidence.
To locate someone who is empathic, try mentioning something that is personal in nature, but not so personal that one would be embarrassed if the information were shared with others, as this is a possible outcome for such a situation. So for example, one could mention that today, "Work was really hard," or that, "Man, I'm really having a hard time with this friend of mine." If the listener asks questions and is seemingly attempting to understand the educator's perspective, then this person is a good candidate for anxiety education. If the person responds to simple anecdotes such as the previous two with a phrase along the lines of, "Yeah, well my day was hard too. I don't want to hear about it," or, "Well, that's tough," then this person is not a good candidate for anxiety education. The educator should cut his or her losses, give up, and simply move on to someone else; not everyone is going to want to hear or believe what one has to say.
Once the person seems rather trustworthy with simple information, the educator can begin to reveal more details and more information about what makes him or her nervous in different situations. While this other person may have no concept of anxiety or social anxiety, if he or she is willing

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