Dr Amina Al-Yassin In this video,  we’re going to be talking about how   to support your friend or your peer who may be  suffering from an anxiety disorder. As a friend,   you play a really important role. It’s  likely that you’re someone who they like   and who they trust, and the fact that  you are thinking about how to support   your friend with an anxiety disorder  is a really helpful place to start. One of the first things to do is to  be able to recognise anxiety. It may   be that your friend or your peer has told you  that they have been diagnosed with an anxiety   disorder or that they’re finding they’re  having fears or worries about something.   It may be that they haven’t told you, but  that you’ve started to notice something,   like they’ve become more withdrawn or  anxious, they are not doing the things   that they used to previously enjoy doing, or  that they’re avoiding particular situations. If this is something that you’ve  noticed, then it may be helpful   to talk to your friend. Choose a time  that’s private and quiet. A time that   you’re not likely to be interrupted and  where there are not other people around,   and really, just take the time to ask open  questions and to just try and understand   and listen to them, rather than to advise  them or tell them how to make it all better. It may be really helpful for you to learn about  anxiety and mental health yourself. It’s always   important to learn about this so that we’re able  to identify it, we’re able to recognise it, we’re   able to accept it, and we’re able to help support  the person in the correct and the best way.   Learning about anxiety can also help us to become  more understanding and empathetic, especially when   we realise that it’s not the person’s fault and  it’s not something that they can easily switch   on or off. It’s much more complex than that  and that’s why it needs patience and support. One of the most helpful things you can do is  to ask the person what helps them. You know,   they often know themselves best and they may know  what they would find really useful. And for them   to know that you are able to be there and to  help them with that, will be really helpful. If the person is experiencing a panic attack,  so this is when someone has a really, sort of,   intense period of anxiety, they may be breathing  really fast, they may even be experiencing what   feels like chest pain or tummy pain, they  may be shaking, they may be feeling very,   very uncomfortable, there are a few things  that you can do as a friend or a peer. The   first thing is to just remain with them and  to stay calm and to reassure them that you   are by their side and that you’re going  to be staying there until they calm down. You can try and encourage them to try  and breathe really deeply and slowly.   One of the techniques that I like to  use is the starfish breathing. So,   that’s when hold our hand up like this and  as we go up with our finger, we breathe in,   and as we come down, we breathe out. And we do  this in a really, really slow and controlled way,   because when we breathe really deeply, it can  help to lower our heart rate and to relax our   body. And when our body’s relaxed,  our mind will soon follow after it. Another thing you can do if someone’s having a  panic attack is to try a grounding technique.   This is the technique that’s used to try and get  them back into this moment. One of my favourite   ones is called five, four, three, two, one. That’s  when you encourage them to name five things they   can see around them in the room and then, name  four things that they can touch in the room and   to touch them, if possible. Then to name three  things that they can hear in the room, and they   really need to listen out to try and identify the  different sounds. Two things that they could taste   in the room. They don’t need to taste them, but  just to name two things that could be tasted in   the room and then, finally, one, one deep breath.  Usually, trying to answer those questions means   that the person goes back into a thinking space  and it can sometimes help to stop a panic attack. If you feel like you have been supporting  someone for a while and that their anxiety   is not improving, or that it’s really becoming  a problem for them or stopping them from getting   on with their day-to-day life, then you can  encourage them to try and seek help or support   through their GP, their educational setting or  their Therapist. If they’re hesitant to do this,   maybe you could even help to support them by  offering to help them to arrange the appointment,   offering to be there with them in the  appointment, if they were to find that helpful,   or helping them to research different ideas for  support. So, this includes different support   organisations or helplines, which they may  be able to access, even without a referral. It’s important when you’re looking after someone  else who’s struggling with their mental health,   to also look after yourself. It can be challenging  to support someone else with a mental health   issue and you’re not alone, even if it does feel  really stressful and overwhelming at times. So,   ensure that you, you know, your – you set your  boundaries and you don’t take on too much,   because if you take on too  much and you become stressed,   anxious or overwhelmed yourself, then  you won’t be able to help them, either. Try and talk to others about how you’re feeling  and find support for yourself, be that, again,   through your GP, through a Therapist or  through a support organisation. Remember,   anxiety, like all other mental health conditions,   is something that the earlier we identify it and  the earlier that we get help and support for it,   the more likely we are to have a good recovery.  So, well done for wanting to reach out and to   help your friend or peer and don’t forget to  look after your own mental health, as well.