How to comfort a person with anxiety?

As someone who has been suffering from anxiety for a significant part of my life, I feel that it's my responsibility to let people with anxiety know that they are not alone and educate others as to how to help if someone they care about is going through anxiety. 

Firstly, it's important to understand what it really means when someone is going through anxiety.  Many of us have been using the word 'anxiety' very loosely in our day-to-day conversations, and the word doesn't hold the weight it's supposed to anymore. This makes people underestimate how anxiety can affect someone experiencing it.

Let's imagine these situations:

1. You are in a jungle and are confronted with a tiger, you will be naturally scared to death because there is a high possibility that the tiger could attack you. 

2. You are in a jungle. You are not confronted with a tiger, but you are aware that there is a tiger in it. In this case, you will be naturally anxious because there is a certain possibility that the tiger could attack you. 

3. You are not in a jungle, and there definitely isn't a tiger in your vicinity. But you imagine yourself to be in a jungle with a tiger, and are scared that the tiger might attack you. You imagine the situation repeatedly and continuously feel anxious. This is what anxiety feels like. 

The level of anxiety may vary from person to person and different people have different kinds of anxieties. If we could broadly divide, there are 2 types of anxieties: Generalized anxiety and specific phobias. In the former, people are basically anxious about anything and everything. In the latter, people have selective phobias like social anxiety, health anxiety, separation anxiety and the list continues. Some may develop new anxieties and naturally overcome others as they experience life. 

No matter what kind of anxiety someone has, they basically imagine themselves in negative situations that have low or no probability of occurrence. 

I know this sounds like an easy problem to solve. But, trust me, it isn't. Everybody experiencing anxieties knows that they are worried about things that aren't real. They know their problem, they know the solution, but their logical side of the brain ceases to work in solving the problem because their brains have been conditioned that way for several years. 

Now the real question is: how would you comfort a person who is going through anxiety?

Firstly, it may sound simple, but all you have to do is listen to them without any judgment. The fear of judgment stops people from seeking help.

Secondly, don't tell them they are being silly worrying about imaginary situations. They know it and you don't have to remind them.

Lastly, don't force them to be in a situation they are not comfortable with. Instead, make them feel comfortable to go through difficult situations.

Thank you for reading. Please take care of yourself and your loved ones too.