I think we can all agree that people with anxiety tend to all act remarkably the same when it comes to these things.
- We are always thinking what the worst case scenario might be. Hear about a car accident on the news? Gotta check to make sure it’s not someone you know. This can also be for everyday activities, we are always thinking what could go wrong.
- We over think EVERYTHING, especially conversations. We try to find the right thing to say, or say the thing we think that person wants to hear.
- We make lists and plans for everything. A plan is our way of controlling what will happen. Lists are also great for keeping us on track or to help us know what we need to do next.
- We don’t like it when our routines get changed. Change is a dirty word. While some people love spur of the moment activities, we don’t.
- We are our biggest critics. All our flaws are somehow magnified and we know every fault we have. We also think everyone else notices it too.
- We have to mentally prepare before we go anywhere. When I leave the house, I give myself at least a day to mentally work up the courage to go. Just jumping in the car and going is not something I do.
- Making friends is hard, because we always think they don’t like us. High school was especially hard, because we never felt like we fit in. If there is a group nearby laughing, our first instinct is that they are laughing at us…when in fact they might not be.
- When things don’t go as planned, we freak out a little bit. This is why we like plans. It’s our way to prepare mentally and talk ourselves into doing stuff. Change plans last minute can enrage or annoy us!
- We never think we are good enough. Not good enough of a wife or mom or friend or sister. The list goes on and on. We always think there is someone better than us and it’s tough.
- We check to make sure our alarm is on at least 3 different times, just in case. Setting the alarm to wake up the next morning might be simple, but I check at least 3 times to make sure it really is on.
- Double-check those locks too. It’s not just the alarm, I also go and double check the locks on my doors every night. Just in case. In fact you might realize you double-check a lot of things.
- We analyze every conversation right afterwards. We analyze how someone reacted to what we said. Think how we should have said it differently, and then proceed to assume that person now hates us. A cycle that goes on with every conversation unfortunately.
- It’s hard to make big decisions. Weighing all the possibilities, we don’t like making big decisions. We are constantly second-guessing our decisions because what if that wasn’t the right call. Being certain of anything is hard when you suffer from anxiety.
- We like to be in control, whenever possible. Things always seem to go smoother when we are in control. Relinquishing control is not something we like to do because what if that other person doesn’t understand all the things that could go wrong.
Can you relate to any of these? Leave a comment below and let us know!!
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