 Billions of people from all over the world struggle with mental illness. According to a survey by NAMI, one out of every five adults in the United States alone have been reported to suffer from mental illness. One of the most prevalent mental illnesses of today, anxiety, affects over 40 million American adults with more and more being diagnosed every year. Do you know someone who's struggling with anxiety? Or are you suffering from it? What are the things people tell you about your anxiety that are unhelpful, or downright debilitating at worst? Sometimes they're probably said with good intentions, but they usually do more harm than good. 1. It's all in your head. Most people with anxiety recognize that, yes, it is all in their heads, but no, that does not make it any less painful or frightening. If anything, it may even make it worse. Telling someone with anxiety to simply calm down and get over it is ignorant and unhelpful. Anxiety is not a choice. You're getting anxious over nothing. While it may seem like nothing is wrong from your point of view, to the person experiencing anxiety, it's not the case. When you tell someone they're getting anxious over nothing, you're invalidating their feelings and being dismissive instead of helpful. Asking them to calm down is pointless and may even make things worse. They'll likely feel that you're not trying to understand them, or that you don't empathize with what they're going through. 3. Everything is going to be fine. This one might surprise you, but telling someone with anxiety that everything is going to be okay isn't actually advisable. Even if you mean it to be comforting and supportive, the other person will most likely not believe you and think that you're just saying that to make them stop being anxious. Instead of trying to reassure them, it's better to help them understand their anxiety. And tell them it's okay to feel the way that they do. Before going on to the next point, we also recently did a video to help people recognize signs of emotional burnout. If you haven't checked it out, be sure to do so after watching this video. 4. Stop acting like that. It's weird. Anxiety can make people do strange things sometimes. For example, some people suddenly fall silent, run away, get restless, or may even have an anxiety attack. Needless to say, the fight against mental illness isn't pretty, but you don't need to judge a person so harshly for how they choose to deal with it. Even if you only meant it as a joke, it's never nice to make fun of someone for something they're probably already insecure about. The decent thing to do is to try and understand their odd behaviors and make them feel accepted regardless of them. 5. Oh, here we go again. This is perhaps the most harmful thing you can say to someone with anxiety, because you're making the person feel as if their illness is a burden to you. According to a study by APA, anxiety usually comes and goes from time to time, in varying degrees of severity. So while it's okay to feel frustrated whenever someone who has anxiety seems to get better only to relapse again, it's best not to voice your concerns with the person in a way that would make them feel as if you're fed up with them. 6. I know exactly how you feel. If you've never experienced any serious anxiety yourself, you shouldn't try to make it out as if you've been in the other person's shoes before. The truth is, you don't really know how anxiety feels or how bad it can get, so don't try to comfort them by saying that you do. They might think you're trivializing them and making light of what they're going through. And even if you have experienced serious anxiety before, remember that anxiety and depression may differ in feelings, experiences, and perspectives for each individual. 7. And finally, is it me? Did I do something wrong? If someone with anxiety seems distant or detached, don't take it to mean that you did something wrong. They're most likely just trying to deal with their anxiety in the best way that they can. Don't pile your insecurities about yourself or your relationship on top of their problems. Mental illness can be hard to understand because it's not something we can see with our own eyes. If someone you love is plagued with anxiety and you want to help them through it, it's important that you let them know that you're there for them. Don't dismiss their feelings or try to remedy them yourself, but rather be supportive and stand with them. Make them feel that they're not alone in their struggle and that you're here to cheer them on through everything. If you're struggling with anxiety, do you find this video accurate? What other phrases are you tired of hearing? Let us know in the comments below. Share this video with someone who may find it helpful. Don't forget to like this video and subscribe to our channel for more psychology content.