“Anxiety Is More Than Just Worrying. It’s Thinking Too Much. It’s Caring Too Much”: Woman Nails Painfully Accurate Description of Anxiety

Anxiety is more than just worrying.

Anxiety is the restless nights of sleep as you toss and turn. It’s your brain never being able to shut off. It’s the thoughts you overthink before bedtime and all of your worst fears becoming a reality in dreams and nightmares.

It’s waking up tired even though your day just started.

Anxiety is learning how to function with sleep deprivation because it took you until 2 a.m. to shut your eyes.

It’s every text you wonder ‘How do I word this properly?’ It’s a double or triple check in case you messed up. Anxiety is answering texts embarrassingly fast.

Anxiety is the time you spend waiting for an answer as a scenario plays out in your mind of what they could be thinking or are they mad?

Anxiety is an unanswered text that kills you inside even though you tell yourself, ‘Maybe they’re busy or will answer later.’ Anxiety is that critical voice that says, ‘Maybe they’re deliberately ignoring you.’ It’s believing every negative scenario you can come up with.

Anxiety is waiting. It always feels like you’re waiting. It’s the inaccurate conclusions drawn as your mind takes off and you have no choice but to follow its destructive lead.

Anxiety is apologizing for things that don’t even require the words, ‘I’m sorry.’

Anxiety is self-doubt and a lack of confidence both in you, yourself, and those around you. Anxiety is being hyper-aware of everyone and everything. So much so, you can tell if there’s a shift in someone merely by their tone or word choice.

Anxiety is ruining relationships before they even begin. It tells you, ‘You’re wrong, they don’t like you, they’re going to leave.’ Then you jump to conclusions.

Anxiety is a constant state of worrying and panicking and being on the edge. It’s irrational fears. It’s thinking too much, it’s caring too much. Because the root of people with anxiety is caring.

It’s sweaty palms and a racing heart. But on the outside, no one can see it. You appear calm and at ease and smiling but underneath is anything but that. Anxiety is the art of deception for people who don’t know you. And for the people who do, it’s a constant stream of phrases like, ‘Don’t worry,’ or ‘You’re overthinking this,’ or ‘Relax.’ It’s friends listening to these conclusions you’ve drawn and not really understanding how you got there, but they’re there trying to support you as things deteriorate in your mind.

Anxiety is wanting to fix something that isn’t even a problem.

It’s the stream of questions that make you doubt yourself.

Did I lock the door before I left?

Did I turn off the stove?

Is the straightener still on?