For anyone, life can be difficult. We go through periods of positive and negative moods and that's completely normal. However, for a person suffering from anxiety, life can become almost impossible. Simple tasks such as talking on the phone, grocery shopping, or even just getting out of the house are cause for serious fear and worry. These things seem simple enough to someone without anxiety, but to someone with anxiety, they can be a true nightmare.
Getting out of bed
Simply waking up and greeting the day can seem difficult for someone with anxiety. The fear that the day will go badly can be enough to keep some people from even trying to leave their bed.
Being alone in front of others
This can take form in something that is daunting to other's such as making a presentation or something so simple as throwing away a piece of garbage. For a person who suffers from anxiety, any situation where attention could possibly be called to them is gut-wrenching.
Ordering food at a restaurant
Whether it's fear from talking to someone you don't know, fear you will mess up the order and look like a fool, or fear that you will confuse or irritate the worker, something so simple becomes completely unbearable.
Talking to strangers
Any time someone with anxiety meets someone new, there's a whirlwind of questions and emotions flooding through their mind. "Do they think I'm weird?" "Are they laughing at me?" These fears can make it impossible to get to know someone knew.
Sharing emotions
When it comes to sharing your feelings with others, those with anxiety struggle constantly. It's an ongoing battle between wanting to shout every negative emotion you feel, and fighting to stay silent because of fear that someone else won't understand or won't validate your anxiety.
Going on any type of errand
Going to the bank, paying bills, and picking up the dry cleaning all pose threats to those with anxiety. The new surroundings and people are enough to overwhelm the person, making these simple tasks seem like mountains to climb.
Grocery shopping
People with anxiety tend to want to spend as little time around large amounts of people as possible. The noise, lights, and general hustle and bustle of the grocery store can be enough to completely overwhelm someone with anxiety.
Driving
Driving with anxiety differs highly from exercising normal caution on the road. When someone with anxiety is driving, their mind is constantly racing with what-ifs and ideas of the worst possible situations.
Phone calls
Similar to speaking to strangers, talking on the phone taps into the fear that the person on the other end of the phone is judging them. Jumbling up a sentence or giving the wrong information may seem laughable to someone without anxiety, but for those with it, it could be cause for a complete break down.
Maintaining healthy relationships
One of the worst things anxiety does is take away a person's ability to talk and express yourself to others. This takes a heavy toll on relationships in particular. Whether it be a family/friend relationship or a romantic one, the inability to be fully open with each other can drive a wedge between the person with anxiety and who they are trying to connect with.
