Have you ever felt nervous for a big test, a first date, or a sports game? Everyone has. Everyone feels nervous along with the emotion we know as anxiety.

You often hear people say, "Wow this is getting me so anxious," when it comes down to something that is nerve-racking and anxiety-provoking. However, some believe that having anxiety as an emotion is the same as having an anxiety disorder.

This is an unspoken subject that I don't believe many understand. Everyone has emotions (unless you're a psychopath, but that's a subject for another day). Everyone experiences anxiety. That nervousness before an event, that feeling that you just want to get it over with and not have to be so stressed. In contrast, having an anxiety disorder of any type is when there is no event to provoke this emotion. Instead, you are feeling like that for not apparent reason. This causes overthinking, lack of sleep, lack of appetite, depression, and so many other difficult effects to deal with on a daily basis.

Many people believe that, because you are able to experience anxiety as an emotion, you automatically have a disorder. THIS IS UNTRUE.

I am very passionate about this subject because, as someone who actually has an anxiety disorder, it is painful to hear people say they have an anxiety disorder because they feel anxious towards certain events. It is very very VERY important to understand that when you have an anxiety disorder, there usually isn't ever a moment where the anxiety stops, and certain events just heighten the angst, rather than just triggering the emotion.

In all, the emotion of anxiety is overpowering and never easy to deal with. I am not downplaying it whatsoever, but there needs to be awareness about the difference between an anxiety disorder and anxiety as an emotion.

Either way, anxiety sucks.