Anxiety is not a term you can use loosely. People throw that word around like it's nothing, but I don't think some people truly know what it's like to actually have anxiety and to know the meaning behind it.

It's one thing to be nervous, shy, or embarrassed, but it's a whole different level to feel panic and fear for no reason. Feeling anxious and having anxiety are two completely different things, and I think we all need to know which is which.

Anxiety isn't quirky.

Anxiety is panic attacks, overthinking every situation, and only expecting the worse outcome no matter how many times you tell yourself it's going to be okay. It is your fight or flight response on overload and not be able to control it. It's silent and it causes you to suffer alone while you drown in your own thoughts. Most of the time, it doesn't make sense and it's difficult to explain to someone who doesn't understand what you are going through.

"Anxiety isn't about being nervous or shy. It's your body existing in a physiological and mental state of emergency in the absence of danger."

People on social media are always saying that they have anxiety because they are too shy to go talk to that boy they like or that they are embarrassed to speak in front of a class and the usual responses to those comments are always, "Aw, that's so cute." It has become the social norm to try to appear cute or awkward, but we can't use real mental disorders to define our "cute" and "shy" moments. It's time to reconsider our words and focus on the fact that mental health is still such a taboo subject that people have to make it an "adorable trend" to talk about it.

Anxiety isn't a fashion statement, so stop trying to make it trendy.