Can An Anxiety Chat Room Help Me Cope?

Coping with anxiety can be difficult if you feel lonely or isolated, which is why many individuals seek to gain peer support within an online chat room geared explicitly toward addressing concerns. The goal of an anxiety chat room is often to unite people experiencing similar symptoms so they may provide support and encouragement for each other. While an anxiety chat room can have benefits, there are a few points to consider if you decide to try one.

What are the symptoms of anxiety? 

The most common symptoms associated with an anxiety disorder include, but aren't limited to, the following: 

• Persistent restlessness, nervousness, or fear
• Fatigue or exhaustion with little or no apparent cause
• Difficulty concentrating
• Irritability
• Headaches, stomachaches, muscle aches, and other unexplained pain
• Persistent worry that's difficult to control
• Sleep difficulties

What to consider when considering an online anxiety chat 

Below are a few areas to consider before using an online anxiety chat room to chat with peers about your symptoms. This advice also applies to forums for other mental illnesses, for example, a depression chat room or a group for those living with an eating disorder.

Safety 

Public mental health chat rooms are often open to anyone, so taking appropriate precautions and safety measures may be beneficial when visiting one. Many health forums will also have rules and moderators who can check to ensure everyone treats each other kindly and acts within the powers. 

In addition, if you feel that someone is lying about their identity or making you uncomfortable, let a chat administrator know or block them if you can. If you suffer a cyberattack or cybercrime, it can be reported through the FBI's cybercrime tool.

Invisibility

Many anxiety chat groups operate with the understanding that some participants may wish to stay unidentified. The chats may allow you to use a nickname to chat and change your profile photo to any image you prefer. 

However, even with the option to register, using the internet may have some risk of not being unidentified. If you have a job in the public eye or a high-level position in a company or organization, note that someone may be able to discover who you are. Try to avoid divulging details that are not essential, and stay generalized about what happened that caused you distress and your feelings about it if you do not want people to know who you are. 

When you are talking to random people in a chatroom, you may not know them. However, there could be a chance that someone you know or someone who knows you through others could unknowingly wind up in the same chatroom as you. When divulging personal and sensitive details about your experiences, remember that you're speaking to a faceless group of individuals. 

Equal exchange of information 

Many people in anxiety chat rooms may be more interested in expressing their feelings than listening to others. They might want to support others, but the compulsion to tell their story and express their feelings may overshadow their ability to offer active listening to other participants. Adversely, you may consider that when you join an anxiety chatroom, the other people involved may expect a level of interaction from you that you are not able or willing to give. 

For this reason and others, using an online anxiety chat may not be as practical or helpful as talking to a licensed therapist. In addition, peers cannot offer mental health treatment as a therapist can. Although knowing that others understand your experiences and are going through the same things can be comforting, there are ways to chat with therapists online instead. 

Communication 

Communication in anxiety chatrooms can involve less pressure than in some other settings, which can be especially beneficial for individuals experiencing social anxiety. You do not have to participate in the conversation if you're not ready, and some people may use chat rooms to read the experiences of others. However, if you do chat, try to express yourself clearly. Communicate your thoughts, feelings, and story while ensuring others understand your statement. 

Clear communication can also be vital when giving feedback to others. If you express feelings about another person's circumstances, it may be beneficial to inform the individual by tagging them or mentioning their username. If you offer suggestions, try to be clear about whether you know the advice as a fact, if it has helped you in the past, or whether you think it's an interesting theory. 

When you attend a chatroom, you may find individuals that have found a solution to living with anxiety that has worked for them. While these solutions may be helpful for some, they might not be beneficial in your circumstances. They may only be able to speak confidently about what they experienced. 

Conversely, a counselor often works with many people experiencing anxiety with different challenges, symptoms, and solutions. They can work with you to find the techniques and strategies personalized to your needs. 

Online support for anxiety is available

A licensed therapist can guide you

Non-professional advice 

There is a level of risk involved with taking advice from non-professionals and free resources. Some mental health chatrooms are mediated by a professional who can manage the information exchanged there. However, with public chats, it can be difficult for one person to filter every piece of information that others contribute. 

Some people in an anxiety chatroom may give advice that makes sense and proves effective. However, others may unknowingly offer advice that increases your discomfort. Some chat might not realize that because a strategy worked for them doesn't necessarily mean it'll work for everyone. 

Some participants may fabricate information or lie about their intentions, credentials, or knowledge. In a chatroom, evaluate the information you are given. You can choose to listen and take the advice, act on it, or politely ignore it. Enter the chatroom with an open mind, but also go in with an active mind, ready to disregard potentially harmful advice as you begin to chat online.