10 Signs You're More Anxious Than The Average Person, According To Psychology
If these signals sound familiar, you may be very comfortable with anxiety.
Krakenimages.com | Shutterstock There's nothing glamorous about dealing with anxiety. Sometimes, you'll have moments where you panic over the smallest things out of nowhere; they'll leave you feeling messed up for days at a time.
We pretty much live in "crisis mode" and, trust us, we are so tired of trying to figure out how to deal with anxiety and getting worked up over the following things. So very tired.
Here are 10 signs you're more anxious than the average person, according to psychology:
1. Airplane turbulence makes you nervous
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Am I the only control freak out there manifesting fiery worst-case scenarios every time the plane exhibits even the slightest bit of turbulence?
And you better believe I'm the person doing labor breaths and repeating, "Turbulence is a matter of comfort, not safety. Turbulence is a matter of comfort, not safety." (Because that's what my airplane self-help books tell me to do.)
Remember: All turbulence is, is disturbance in the airflow, whether it be a temperature change or a change in wind speed, reassuring research tells us.
2. You leave extra time to get anywhere
Mental Health America (MHA) / Pexels
Anxious people always leave plenty (read: hours) of cushion room to avoid the stress of willing a traffic jam to un-jam or a delayed subway car to un-delay.
Why? Because we're anxious about being late. (Do not even get me started on the time I left my iPhone at home and only realized it the moment I arrived at the airport, resulting in a Home Alone-esque dash through the mean streets of Chicago while I sobbed: You just don't understand. I have anxiety.)
3. Meeting new people is tough for you
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Whether it's our aversion to small talk or the worry that we'll say the wrong thing or overshare, social situations can be particularly challenging for anxious people.
4. You procrastinate
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Deadlines are tough for anxious people. Especially the ones where we've procrastinated until 12 hours before something's due (no, anxiety does not preclude procrastination) and we're half-scrambling, half-swearing to ourselves we'll never, ever wait until the last minute ever again. Spoiler alert: We wait until the last minute again.
5. You self-diagnosis medical conditions
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Thank you, WebMD, for the many, many sleepless nights you've caused us, because in the same way all roads lead to Rome, all symptoms lead to cancer.
While I'll admit this may be a very anxious habit, I'm not the only one who does it. According to a survey, 35% of U.S. adults have gone online to try to figure out what medical condition they or someone else may have.
6. Unanswered texts leave you with dread
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Are they mad? Worse, are they dead? People with anxious minds tend to spiral when it comes to unanswered messages, or even worse the dreaded 'We need to talk' text.
7. You are a backseat driver
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People dealing with anxiety make fantastic backseat drivers. It's not annoying at all to have an extra person letting you know when you're riding someone else's bumper on the road, right?
8. You dislike confrontation
Mental Health America (MHA) / Pexels
Face-to-face confrontation may be tough for anxious people. We're huge believers that any issues can be worked out through email or text, and oftentimes, anxious people have an easier time expressing themselves via written word rather than verbally.
9. You're a good saver
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Thank god for financial advisors who bring some sort of semblance to 401Ks, Roth IRAs, stocks and bonds, and... oh wait, we just fell asleep from the finance terminology.
But seriously, anxious people may often be obsessive about saving and investing, because shocker: Not being financially secure in the future stresses them out.
10. You live by to-do lists
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For every item we cross off, why do three more appear? Regardless, organization and 'checking things off' may help some people keep their anxiety at bay.
If you or somebody that you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, there is a way to get help. Call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or text "HELLO" to 741741 to be connected with the Crisis Text Line.
Andrea Zimmerman is the deputy editor of YourTango.