Worried about someone else
You are not the one struggling, and you are still in it.
Most of what is written for families is written about the person who is unwell. This is written for you: what actually helps, what to avoid saying, and where your part ends.
Who are you worried about
Narrow it, if you want
Nothing here tells you what is wrong with them. There is no checklist to match somebody against, because deciding what a person has when they have not asked you to is its own harm. And none of it is a guarantee. They have their own say in this, and if things do not improve that is not a verdict on how well you did any of it.
4 practices in Your body
Showing 4 of 4. Every one carries a verse or a sound report and a named piece of research, and every one is a draft.
Reaching for another person when you are wound up is not a distraction from coping. Contact can turn the alarm down at the source.
This is why a short call, a message to someone who knows you, or sitting in the same room as family is worth doing before you get as far as the…
When someone is frightened, your words may not reach them however sensible they are. Drop your voice, slow right down, and let the tone do the work.
In high alarm, hearing tips towards low rumbling sounds and away from the range the human voice sits in, so reassurance can genuinely fail to land.…
When someone cannot take in your reassurance while they are frightened, that is the receiver and not their willingness. Wait for the wave to pass and try again.
In high arousal, hearing shifts away from the band the human voice occupies, so kind words can genuinely arrive as noise. It is easy to read that as…
Connection settles people, but the right amount of it varies enormously. Some settle with a house full of family and some with one person and no talking at all.
If closeness costs you something, plan around that rather than pushing through. Shorter visits, sitting side by side instead of face to face, a walk…
If it is more urgent than this
If you are frightened for their safety, or for yours, a page is not the right speed.
Something to do in the next minuteWho to contact, by country