Loving Someone with Anxiety: Understanding and Helping Your Partner

Kate N. Thieda

Apr 2013 · New Harbinger Publications

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Dealing with an anxiety disorder is hard, but loving someone with an anxiety disorder can be equally as difficult. If your partner suffers from extreme anxiety, they may have panic attacks, constantly be voicing their worried thoughts, or may not be able to participate in social events because of a fear of social settings. No matter how compassionate you are, you may sometimes feel frustrated, unable to help, and even find your own life restricted—all of which can lead to conflict, resentment, miscommunication, and ultimately, an end to the relationship altogether.

Loving Someone with Anxiety is one of the few books written specifically for the partners of people with anxiety disorders. The book is designed not only to aid you in helping your partner cope with anxiety and worry, but also to help you take care of your own needs. Inside, you’ll learn the importance of setting healthy boundaries, limiting codependent behaviors, and why taking over roles that make your partner anxious—such as answering the phone, driving, or doing the grocery shopping because your partner feels too anxious to be in public—can be extremely damaging for the both of you.

Codependency in relationships with an anxious partner can lead to resentment, anger, and a sense of helplessness on your side. This book will help you and your partner overcome these negative behaviors, build better communication and a stronger personal connection.

Written by a licensed professional counselor who specializes in helping the partners of those with mental illnesses, this book is the resource that you have been looking for to help you understand your anxious partner and keep anxiety from sabotaging your relationship.

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Kate N. Thieda, MS, LPCA, NCC, is a licensed professional counselor associate, national certified counselor, and psychotherapist in Durham, North Carolina. She is the creator of the blog Partners in Wellness on the award-winning website psychcentral.com, targeted to partners of those who have mental illness. She graduated with her bachelor of arts from Michigan State University and a master of science in counseling from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.