 As you probably already know, anxiety is a very stressful thing, and realizing that you may be living with it can be a tough pill to swallow. Combining that with having to tell the people you love about it and you could have a recipe for a full-blown panic attack. Anxiety can make you feel fearful and ashamed all at once, and the thought of having to share those feelings with your parents may have you feeling vulnerable, alone, shameful, and uneasy. The good thing? You've already tackled the hardest thing, which is accepting that you have an anxiety disorder. So you may be thinking, I want to tell my parents I'm suffering from an anxiety disorder, but I don't know how. We here at Psych2Go have a few tips that we think will make the experience a little easier, and as always, if you're feeling overwhelmed, please seek professional help as soon as possible. First off, you want to explain to your parents how you're feeling. For a lot of them, they may not really know what you're going through. Your folks may just think you're overly sensitive and are referring to that. Everyone feels anxiety at some point in their life, but the level you're experiencing is unbearable. When you express that to your parents, this may help them empathize with what you're living with. If you think that telling your parents face to face is too daunting, it may be easier for you to get your feelings across in a letter. The nice thing about writing everything down in a letter is that you can take your time formulating your thoughts, you won't miss any important details, and you'll have the option of reading it to them, or leaving it somewhere they'll find it. Once you've written everything out, you may even feel lighter and better about the situation. You'll also want to remember to use examples. Your parents may not have any experience in anxiety or mental health. You can talk to them about how anxiety makes you feel physically sweaty, out of breath, and scared, or you may find it easier to use situational examples like Mom, I'm having trouble concentrating at school because I'm so worried about failing, or Dad, I can't stop thinking about germs and constantly feel dirty. Now think of the people that you feel most comfortable with. These are probably your friends, right? Why not consider running through the conversation with them first? Your friends have probably been noticing changes in you with your anxiety, and this is a great chance for them to feel like they're helping you. The nice thing about this is, even if your parents react negatively, odds are your friends won't, which means at the end of the day, you'll still have some sort of support system. And most of all, please don't give up. And please don't think that you need to explain everything in one letter or conversation. New things are going to pop up in your life regarding anxiety and it may take a while for your parents to accept, believe, or even understand it. Make sure you empathize that this feeling is impacting your daily life and that you'd really like their support in order to get better. Not only that, but there are tons of articles, TV shows, books, and movies that talk about all different disorders, including anxiety. If your parents are having a hard time relating to your situation, suggest that they read or watch a few. We hope that some of these tips will help you if you're thinking of telling your parents or loved ones about your struggle with anxiety. Good luck, and thanks for tuning in to Psych2Go. Don't forget to like and subscribe if you enjoyed this video and would like to see more of our content. And as always, the link to the full article is in the description below. If you did enjoy this video, then you may be interested in some of Psych2Go's other videos.