*sighs* It is really, really, really hard to explain to a confrontational person the way anxiety works. Confrontational people like the equation of "see problem/dragon/demon/monster/issue + find solution to problem/dragon/demon/monster/issue = slay problem/dragon/demon/monster/issue."
This often means that it is hard for confrontational people to wrap their mind around the idea that sometimes there isn't anything to slay. Anxiety doesn't fit into the nice little equation. With anxiety it's more like: feelings about nothing/problem/dragon/demon/monster/issue/responsibilities/growing-up/other-people's-opinions/making-food/what-to-wear/doing-things-right + blunt object = hacking away at a void in front of you with little to no effect. So then, when the blunt object doesn't work, maybe you find a stuffed animal to throw at it and get slightly better (but not by much) effects. And so on and so forth.
I think, eventually, after loads and loads and loads of marginally effective implements people with anxiety usually find a flamethrower and the flamethrower, usually accompanied with therapy and medicine, produces manageable results, but that is a much longer equation than the previously mentioned one.
It's extra frustrating for me, because I am just confrontational enough to want to slay the dragons and demons and non-confrontational enough to know that the path to slaying the dragons and demons is not straightforward.
But trying to explain that to someone who is all direct confrontation is so hard. You can tell that they want, so badly, for the anxiety to fit their equation--they want a clear solution so the suffering goes away and they will try to suggest clear solutions because that is how they know how to fix things.
And it's kind of heartbreaking to try and explain that that approach doesn't work as well as we'd all like it to. If only, if only.
