What Anxiety Is and How It Differs from Everyday Worry

Worry fades once the danger has passed. Anxiety lingers even when everything is calm.

Anxiety is when you worry without a real reason. Or too intensely. Or for too long. Normal worry happens before an exam, before an important conversation, before a flight. That's natural. Your body gears up for a challenge; adrenaline kicks in. But once the exam is over, the worry fades. You relax.

Anxiety doesn't fade. It sits inside like background noise. You wake up anxious, go to work anxious, come home anxious. You can't pinpoint the cause. Or there is a reason, but it doesn't match the intensity of your feelings. Your partner didn't reply to a text for an hour, and you're already picturing a disaster.