How to Support a Loved One with Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety is not "all in the head" or imagined — it genuinely exhausts a person from within. Loved ones often struggle to know how to help, especially when nothing seems visibly wrong. Dr. Saулitis outlines several practical directions.

Sleep Comes First

Disrupted sleep and anxiety feed each other in a cycle: the worse someone sleeps, the harder it becomes to manage worry. A loved one's role is to help create conditions for proper rest. This is not a minor detail — it is the foundation without which everything else works less well.

Routine and Physical Activity

A person with anxiety needs to stay occupied — not just "distracted," but in a structured, physically engaged way. When there is a clear daily routine and real physical activity, the brain simply has fewer "free slots" for endlessly looping anxious thoughts. Help build a predictable day: a consistent wake time, regular activity, walks — ideally during daylight hours.

Nutrition and Lifestyle

The basics matter. Balanced eating and reducing foods that destabilise blood sugar levels is not about appearance — it is about supporting the nervous system. Loved ones can help not through lectures, but simply by creating a stable, functional everyday environment around the person.

When Professional Help Is Needed

If the situation does not improve despite all efforts, or begins to worsen, that is a signal to seek specialist input. An individual approach matters: sometimes additional assessment is needed, sometimes concurrent conditions require attention. A loved one cannot and should not be the sole "therapist" — that is too great a burden for both people.