Generally people only worry about what concerns them. That's why movie stars promote awareness to diseases that directly affect them or their family and donate milions for research institutes. This is simply natural of course. The teenager that isn't allowed by his parents to go out at night might see that as the biggest injustice is the world. To that teen, it makes sense. To the starving child in Africa in a war torn country, his real problems are slightly different...
With this initial explanation I wanted to note how people are self absorbed in whatever ails them in their life, despite what it may be.
But moving forward... anxiety is something that has several categories and varying degrees. It's not easy to simplify what anxiety is. You have people that are always stressed out; they learned to be that way. You have people with specific phobias. You have persons that you can clearly see are not at ease while speaking to other people. And then anxiety may coexist with other disorders that are linked and mutually stimulate each other.
However I'll speak of my experience. In an incomplete fashion, but relevant still.
Basically I feel completely insecure in whatever context I'm in. Like if someone pointed a gun to my head. Like if you were being robbed or jumping for the first time out of an airplane with a parachute, afraid to take that step into the void, afraid the parachute won't open, afraid you won't be able to open it. Even if there is an instructor in tandem.
Well, it pretty much sucks. It's a form of torture. Especially when you are forced by circumstances to have a job. A stressful one, because it's the only kind readily available. And so you mess up. And you have difficulty connecting or speaking to coworkers. And to deal with situations all day long.
The worst I ever got was when I had multiple phobias. Claustrophia, social phobia, agoraphobia. That basically means you can't be anywhere without fear of losing control (one of the main traits of this sort of ailments). You suffocate at home, you have multiple panic attacks when walking the street, each time someone looks at you or passes you by. Your brain races, you sweat and your face turns red, you can hear you heart pounding. Your thoughts focus on what other people might think you think of him or her. If it's someone fat, you are anxious because you're afraid that person might understand from your reaction (as you can imagine, quite pronounced; yet sometimes not even visible) that you are noticing how fat he is and you were caught. Caught with disgust, for example. If it's someone atractive, you fear she - because I'm a he - might think you are interested and uncomfortable that she crossed eyes with you. And this is a non existant thing, because you're only afraid of what others might - or not - think. It's utterly stupid. Most of times, no one even ponders all that goes through your head. Your fears, if you analyze it rationally... how frequently do they turn into reality? You get the point, no need for additional examples I guess.
Anyway that was when I was at my worst. A living nightmare. Now I'm kinda functionable, most people are unable to understand what I feel at a given moment. They assume I'm simply rude, unpleasant, even obnoxious. Other times they perceive me as the timid kind. Others think nothing at all. It's curious... but my levels of anxiety aren't entirely stable. They vary. From day to day, intraday... at my current job I had falldown a couple of months earlier that led me to quit my previous one. So I was in a miserable shape. Unable to speak with anyone. Unable to do my work probably. Incapable of retaining important information, because my mind was in a constant loop. It still is. But way softer now.
I could say so much more... but this is a bit of my experience. And of plenty of people that go through the same.
Everyone has challenges. It's not bigger or lesser. Each of us has his/her own path. That's the path of life. To achieve, to surpass, to solve, improve oneself. And we all can improve. Even if we see nothing worth improving. You can and you should.
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From @awkwardawk