I think part of the beast of anxiety is that it is NOT RATIONAL.
I have a friend who suffers from panic attacks whenever he has to fly. I don't get it. You get there, you get on the plane, you fly. If you crash, you'll deal with it if you live. What's worrying going to accomplish? Statistics show that driving is more dangerous and you ride in cars all the time. BUT. Just because I don't get it doesn't make his fear, his anxiety any less real to him, or any less valid.
The trick, I think, is not to judge the anxiety. It comes out of, most likely, a bunch of intersecting experiences that they've had in their life, and it cannot truly be understood, maybe not even by the sufferer.
So what do you do? You don't have to buy into the fear to comfort or support or simply distract someone. If if is something that can easily be fixed, just fix the problem. If not, just be there, judgment free. Comfort, support, distract, and be the kind of person you would want someone to be to you, when you are gripped in the full throes of whatever your worst fear is.
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