Am I feeling normal nervousness or is this anxiety?
13 Answers
Last Updated: 05/24/2021 at 7:45pm
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Paola Giordani, Psychoanalyst
Licensed Psychoanalyst
I have helped and am helping people cope with loss, divorce, anguish and parenting. Depression is also a major issue that comes up.
Top Rated Answers
Anonymous
January 20th, 2015 11:25am
Normal nervousness for me is a sense of alertness, anticipation and a drizzle of doubt right before I enter an exam. Anxiety is the constant crippling fear that if I fail this exam, I will lose everything and there are no second chances. I might stay up several nights locked in this panic, and looking at my revision materials might trigger a surge of uncomfortable physical symptoms like speeding heartrate, chest pain, choked breathing, trembling, hot flashes or chills, etc. Perhaps the biggest indicator of having anxiety is having the fear of having it because it seems as though it could jeopardize everything.
Anonymous
February 10th, 2015 9:29am
Well, in my humble opinion, nervousness the same as anxiety, and feeling any anxiety or nervousness is normal, and we all feel it at one time or another in our life time. However, if you're nervous all the time and it won't go away, then I'd say (again, in my humble opinion) that you've got an anxiety disorder, which is when your level of nervousness is far, far too high during certain situations.
Is it wise when you have wound, instead of go have it checked professionally, you are sitting and wondering if it's serious ot not?
Hello this could depend on what's happening around you. Everyone can feel nervous at one time or another.
My reply might seem very naive, but, since this is a personal opinion, I'll just say that, if nervousness gets physical, even the slightest, it is anxiety :C been there so, that's that.
Anxiety and nervousness are two different things. If you always feel nervous, even for things you usually do without problems, than you must consider the fact that maybe you suffer of a form of anxiety. If is a period in wich you are under stress, before considering anxiety try to do things that can calm you and see if they help your nervousness.
Anxiety is when you can't stop thinking about something and it really eats you up so much you can't concentrate on anythign else. Nervousness usually goes away quickly.
There will be times in everyone's life where they feel nervous, starting a new job or meeting new people for example, this is natural and a good way to channel energy. Anxiety is a more overwhelming feeling which often focus' on events that have not happened
If you get nervous for a specific reason and can cope with the situation rationally, you are okay. If you get nervous and avoid difficult situations, get irritable, have difficulty sleeping, restlessness, impaired concentration, experience sweating, nausea and/or diarrhea, and the symptoms keep you from performing all of some of your daily activities, you might suffer from anxiety.
Anonymous
April 18th, 2017 8:20pm
Anxiety and nervousness are almost the same thing. The way I distinguish them is by trying to think logically and asking for a second opinion. It is normal to feel nervous and/or anxious at times. Anxiety is a normal part of life and almost every person, if not all, has experienced anxiety at least once in their life. As I said, the fastest and best way (in my opinion) is to ask for a second opinion. You can also read this: https://www.7cups.com/anxiety-help/. Hopefully it will help you find out what you are feeling.
Depends on the reasons that you are nervous. Many things can create nervousness but that might not be an anxiety. If there is a specific reason and it is not a state you are in for a long period of time odds are this is just normal nervousness.
Anonymous
April 24th, 2018 7:07pm
I am not sure yet. Can you tell me a bit more about what you are feeling? Everybody gets nervous but it sounds like you have anxiety.
Anonymous
May 24th, 2021 7:45pm
There's a great difference between being nervous and anxious. When you are nervous there is an onset of something but when you have an anxiety disorder, you worry for no reason at all.
For example, you feel nervous when you are about to write an exam or when you want to make an important step in life but when you are anxious, sometimes, you don't know why you are anxious. The feeling is just there, so many triggers to anxiety though, like poor family background, the death of a loved one and sometimes, how your brain is.
Just know that it will one day be okay
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