[Lara]

This is something that's making me more and more upset the more I read it or hear it or it happens to me. What ever happened to compassion for others?

The world is filling with angry, resentful sounding shamers. I see it all the time lately. Here, there, everywhere. It's directed at others and I also feel it myself by people who should know better. The comments from medical staff like "stop being so anxious. you're so anxious you're making me anxious". Really? How awful for them. It's not a tap that can switch on and off.

Stop shaming people because they are anxious or have an anxiety disorder. If necessary talk about ways of helping but gosh, stop with all the put downs as if we're all anxious on purpose and going out of our way to annoy them.

Just venting. This has been really upsetting me lately.

[Lara]

Some reading on the subject.

4 ways that mental health is commonly shamed- from DiscoveryMood Blog

• includes the casual use of terms such as “depressed” or ‘OCD”
• calling others "psycho" or "crazy"
• labelling someone because of their particular condition
• judging others due to their behaviour

NAMI - The stigma of anxiety disorder

Excellent personal story article. This is spot on and I could almost have written it myself except for some things such as isolating from the world. I am now and was always just fine isolating from the world as much as I can. Also, I may be wrong but the author "sounds" young but I am not young so am more advanced you might say in the understanding and control of my own anxiety these days.

[Atticus]

Thanks Lara, I read this not as an anxious person so much, although I have my moments, but as a potential shamer.

[caroline2]

I'm not anxious and not a shamer, but the world has become more cruel and so much is said behind people's monitors,
I see that so much changed when TV came into our worlds and anything goes on so much programming and a lot of cruel stuff for sure. Just my thoughts on it all in my long life.

[Lara]

Added to clarify ---- I was specifically talking about misunderstanding Anxiety Disorders

Well, yes. My post wasn't really about that but it's a very good point.

Although I was specifically talking about anxiety disorders, you're right. There are all the shamers and the bullies who attack people on their computers and they usually do that with fake screen names in anonymity and often in private so no one else knows what has been said. Shamers tend to shame publicly from what I've seen.

It's not just the tv, media and computers though, it happens on a very personal face to face level which I've never seen so bad in all my life.

[tnthomas]

Originally Posted by Lara

This is something that's making me more and more upset the more I read it or hear it or it happens to me. What ever happened to compassion for others?

The world is filling with angry, resentful sounding shamers. I see it all the time lately. Here, there, everywhere. It's directed at others and I also feel it myself by people who should know better. The comments from medical staff like "stop being so anxious. you're so anxious you're making me anxious". Really? How awful for them. It's not a tap that can switch on and off.

Stop shaming people because they are anxious or have an anxiety disorder. If necessary talk about ways of helping but gosh, stop with all the put downs as if we're all anxious on purpose and going out of our way to annoy them.

Just venting. This has been really upsetting me lately.

The anonymity of the internet brings cowards out of the shadows, enabling them to spew their personal brand of anger and hate. It is hard to ignore, as we tend to expect better behavior from our fellow humans.

[Lara]

From PsychCentral

How Society Gaslights Survivors of Narcissists, Sociopaths, and Psychopaths

How to Identify and Deal with Gaslighting

How to Support an Anxious Partner

For those dealing with anxiety disorders themselves or knowing and loving others who are facing difficulties in the way they have been or are being treated by others, there are some really helpful articles to be found over there by using the site search feature.

[pink kitty]

Shamers really suck

[pink kitty]

People who don't give a rats Azz and who are impolite for no reason suck too. They are A holes

[Lara]

I know what you mean, pink kitty.

What to Say (and Not to Say) to Someone with Anxiety | Right as Rain by UW Medicine

Listen without judgment to what they have to say and what their experiences are like.

McKenna Princing May 18 2019
University of Washington