As in all problems that involve psychological phenomena, a well-grounded awareness of the various inter-related processes will give you tools to deal with the situation. When you ask for a medical opinion or just friendly advice, when you just read or hear something about your anxiety problems, the quality of the communication is a key factor in whether it will help you or not. Maybe you think as communication as the act of conveying information, but that’s barely just half of it: the other half is about whether such information was accurately interpreted by the person receiving a message.
Whatever the communication process you are involved in, that makes you a part in a mutual exchange; which is to say that you will be better understood if you listen carefully what the other side is trying to pass to you. If you feel that your anxiety makes it hard for you to communicate and express yourself, it could be that it’s actually keeping your from listening to others. You must always remember that communication is a two way street.
As a patient suffering from anxiety, you may sometimes feel detached from the world- but nonetheless, you can still engage communication as long as you try. Remember this: if you consult with medical adviser, he will only give you useful insights if you can explain the details of what you think may be causing your condition, as well as the symptoms that might be involved in the process. The best doctor in the world could never make an informed treatment decision that would decisively help you get better, unless you were able to explain your personal perspective. Likewise, once a counselor gets a sense of your problem, he will hardly be able to provide you with useful feedback unless you’re receptive to his advice.
Communicating the way you feel is not only important as a means of seeking external help with problems such as anxiety, it’s also very important for your increase your connection to your environment and to improve your personal relations with fellow human. However, once the anxiousness is established it may become very difficult to achieve effective communication even with close friends and family members. Sometimes it seems more productive to talk to a stranger like a doctor, or try to find the answers for ourselves by reading about it- regardless of where you look for help, you should spare no efforts to cultivate a solid understanding of yourself and learn how to improve your lines of communication.
To talk and to be heard; to understand and to feel understood: embracing heart-felt communication will help you develop knowledge that will help in dealing with anxiety. And, sometimes more importantly- it provides you with motivation and a sense of connection that help you overcome some of the effects of anxiousness.
