When you suffer from anxiety or any type of anxiety disorder, one of the first pieces of advice that you will receive from a medical professional is to seek out a support group - either online or offline.
The purpose of a support group is for people who are in similar circumstances to learn how to cope with those circumstances by using each others experiences.
While this is a very good and healthy approach to a number of different issues, problems, and conditions, it may not be the best thing for those who suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
People who have GAD worry about everything - and the end result of a support group session is that the person has been given even more to worry about.
It isn't so much that sufferers feed off of each other during these support group meetings as it is that anxiety can actually be contagious, in a sense.
Most people are somehow affected by the personalities and moods of the people who surround them - even if they don't suffer from anxiety.
Simply put, to some level we all feel compassion and empathy for our fellow man.
When you suffer from anxiety, this may be a harmful thing for your own state of mind.
It could be that instead of joining an anxiety support group or an online anxiety forum, you need to carefully design your own anxiety support system.
You don't need a multitude of people - just a few people who honestly and genuinely care about you and your well being.
One of the key ingredients to a successful support group is that the people in the group have a deeper understanding about what you are going through than people who have never had those experiences.
Therefore, choose at least one person who does suffer from anxiety, but make sure that they have a positive outlook regardless.
Instead of wallowing in their problems, they are actually trying to change the situation.
The other people simply need to care about you, but they cannot easily get their feelings hurt.
You need to be able to be open and honest with your support system at all times.
You also need to realize that while these people are in your support system, if they are friends or family members, it cannot be about you all of the time.
Just as traditional support groups meet at certain times on certain days, you should set up a meeting with your support system on a regular basis, and at that time, it does need to be all about you.
The purpose of a support group is for people who are in similar circumstances to learn how to cope with those circumstances by using each others experiences.
While this is a very good and healthy approach to a number of different issues, problems, and conditions, it may not be the best thing for those who suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
People who have GAD worry about everything - and the end result of a support group session is that the person has been given even more to worry about.
It isn't so much that sufferers feed off of each other during these support group meetings as it is that anxiety can actually be contagious, in a sense.
Most people are somehow affected by the personalities and moods of the people who surround them - even if they don't suffer from anxiety.
Simply put, to some level we all feel compassion and empathy for our fellow man.
When you suffer from anxiety, this may be a harmful thing for your own state of mind.
It could be that instead of joining an anxiety support group or an online anxiety forum, you need to carefully design your own anxiety support system.
You don't need a multitude of people - just a few people who honestly and genuinely care about you and your well being.
One of the key ingredients to a successful support group is that the people in the group have a deeper understanding about what you are going through than people who have never had those experiences.
Therefore, choose at least one person who does suffer from anxiety, but make sure that they have a positive outlook regardless.
Instead of wallowing in their problems, they are actually trying to change the situation.
The other people simply need to care about you, but they cannot easily get their feelings hurt.
You need to be able to be open and honest with your support system at all times.
You also need to realize that while these people are in your support system, if they are friends or family members, it cannot be about you all of the time.
Just as traditional support groups meet at certain times on certain days, you should set up a meeting with your support system on a regular basis, and at that time, it does need to be all about you.