A lot of articles say a lot of things about anxiety, including how to recognize it, deal with it, treat it, and understand it in other people. But, that still make it difficult for some people to grasp what having anxiety is really like. Especially for people that don't have anxiety, it can be a hard concept to fully understand because it means much more than nervousness or worry. Now I am in no way an expert and some people may think of it differently, but here are some of my analogies to help show what living with anxiety is really like.

1. It's like being at a party and there are a few people there that you really don't want to see, so you manage to avoid them for a while; but, eventually they corner you and won't let you leave without talking to them for a while.

Part of anxiety is dealing with things you may not want to. Problems will come up and worries will come forward that you never knew even existed. Something that may have never even crossed your mind for some reason is your biggest enemy and will not let you forget it.

2. It's like having someone you don't like tap you on the shoulder all day.

Anxiety is like a nag that just won't go away. Even when you tell yourself "everything is fine" or "I don't need to worry about this," it doesn't listen. It can pull you away from a good time or push you into an emotional decline when you don't have any good reason for one.

3. It's like having the bad guy win in a movie.

Movies are somewhat predictable in the sense that you can always count on the good guy coming out on top. Well, imagine a movie where the good guy doesn't win and in fact the bad guy can be in control of the good guy and everything he does. This is what it's like having anxiety - always feeling like the bad thoughts are going to win.

4. It's like planning a trip to Disney World but realizing you have to do a lot of chores first.

You can see the light at the end of the tunnel. If you have anxiety over an event or something that's happening in the near future, you may just have to get through a certain amount of time before you feel good again.

It's hard because you have so many reasons to be excited or happy, but your anxiety distracts you from those feelings, making them hard to feel.

Many people have their own way of describing and rationalizing anxiety. If you have other analogies that you think are helpful, please share them.