Whatever situation you’re in, healthy communication skills will make things better. It’s the foundation of all relationships — including how you feel about yourself. Countless factors impact one’s communication style. For example, if you’ve been diagnosed with something like depression or an anxiety disorder, it will shape your inactions in potentially major ways.
Factors like nervousness or low mood can hamper your ability to stay focused and confident. You may be tempted to shut down and avoid embarrassing or stressful moments. However, it doesn’t have to be like this. With the support of a skilled professional, you can discover ways to navigate communication challenges.
A Few Ways Anxiety and Depression Can Impact Communication
- Energy shifts: It could be too much or too little, but folks with diagnoses like these can swing between frenetic interactions to having trouble mustering up the strength.
- Easily overwhelmed: Both anxiety and depression can make someone lose focus and struggle with decision-making.
- Withdrawal: People with depression or anxiety may struggle with a very critical inner voice that makes them more likely to choose isolation over interactions.
So, whether it’s you who is struggling or it’s someone you know, a giant first step toward healing is self-education. Learning more about mental health issues and their symptoms helps reduce confusion or blame. The collective goals should relate to healing and healthy connections. Therefore, it’s truly worth the effort to familiarize yourself with common patterns of either disorder.
Communication Skills for Coping with Anxiety and Depression
The following points can be adapted for folks with anxiety or depression or for those with such people in their lives.
Don’t Take It Personally If Someone is Struggling With Communication
No one wants to be anxious or depressed. Their behavior is not automatically a sign that they are targeting you, are unintelligent, or they’re not doing the work to heal. If you’re dealing with a disorder, you are not required to meet someone else’s standards as to how to recover.
Collective Patience
Recovery is not an overnight experience. Hence, whichever side you find yourself on this path, take your time. It can feel frustrating for everyone involved, but it also offers a wonderful opportunity for them to empathize with each other and learn more about how the other person feels.
Reassurance
Whether you’re seeking reassurance or seeking to provide it, this is one of the most important parts of communication. People with depression or anxiety can lose sight of who they are in relation to others. They may start to believe they will never feel better. Thus, it’s vital that they know they’re worthy of help and yes, they can heal. Remind them (or yourself) that:
- A mental illness is not about blame
- They deserve respect
- Encouragement and positive input are extremely helpful
- Help is appreciated
If You Need Space, Ask For It
Or if a person you know with depression or anxiety needs some solitude, trust them to be in touch with their own needs. Other times, what might be most needed is silent companionship. It can be useful for those with either of these diagnoses to remember that people close to you won’t always understand. It’s not your obligation to explain in detail, but it will help everyone if you can clearly explain when you do or don’t want direct help.
Refine Those Coping Skills
In between therapy sessions, coping skills are one of the best ways to maintain a positive carryover. An excellent way to enhance communication when feeling anxious or depressed is to welcome support for your process of developing such tools.
We Can Help You!
Since all of the above is easier said than done, it makes sense to ask for professional guidance to get things started. Contact our office today to set up an appointment.
Please consider Crossroads Phoenix and Scottsdale Counseling Centers. You can start your journey by following these steps:
- Contact Crossroads Counseling for a complimentary 20-minute phone consult
- Meet with a therapist as soon as possible.
- Start your healing journey today.
Our offices are located in Anthem, and Scottsdale. Call us at 623-680-3486, text 623-688-5115, or email info@crossroadsfcc.com.
