1. Decline invites even when you really want to go.
Sometimes, anxiety can be so debilitating, that you can’t muster enough energy to go out. No matter how excited you were for the event beforehand, when the day actually comes and your anxiety is in full force, you say no. You don’t want to be a burden to anyone if you were to go, so the best choice for you is to not attend.
2. Obsess over things people normally would never think about twice.
You obsess over everything in your head. Most likely, the things you obsess about would never cross someone’s mind who doesn’t have anxiety. Maybe you obsess over a conversation you had last week, or the way your boss looked at you the other day. Maybe you obsess over the fact that your boyfriend hasn’t texted you in a day, and you worry if you said anything to upset him. Whatever it may be, it’s hard for people without anxiety to understand why you are so caught up in things that wouldn’t even matter to them.
3. Wake up early in the morning even when you’re tired.
Sleep is always an issue for you. It’s hard for you to get to sleep because you have so many things to digest and contemplate about the day you just had. Because your mind never seems to shut off, you never fail to wake up early with worries that have already entered your mind. You tend to wake up super early sometimes because you need to get going, and get everything done in a timely manner. Sleeping in is definitely a challenge for you because you can’t switch off your anxiety once you are already awake.
4. You constantly fear the worst scenario in every situation.
Before going on a trip, you envision everything falling apart. Before going on a road trip, you fear accidents. When you get sick, you get terrified that there’s something truly wrong with you. The list goes on and on, and it seems silly to others. But for you? It’s real fears. It’s real to you.
5. You replay conversations over and over in your head.
You try to avoid confrontation at all costs because it causes your anxiety to get worse. When you have an argument or even a conversation that seems lovely to the other person, you continue to think about it after it’s said and done. You can never get it out of your head and you always think you said something wrong. It can really eat you up inside, and you always have to remind yourself that it’s just your anxiety talking, and everything is most likely fine.
6. You become more worried about yourself when people voice concern for you.
When people ask you if you are ok when you are having an anxiety attack, or when people come to you when you are way over your head with negative thoughts, it makes your anxiety worse. Of course, they all mean well, but when others worry about you, it makes you think – “If they are worried, then I should worry even more about myself!”
