When we think of anxiety, we usually think of constant worrying, imagining worst-case scenarios about the future, or panic attacks that come out of seemingly nowhere but leave you feeling that you just had a near-death experience. But anxiety has other faces, other ways in which it is actually the underlying driver for another’s behavior that scares us, annoys us, or frustrates us. Here are some of the common other forms of anxiety that you may not recognize:
Yes, you probably have some classic images from TV and movies of those folks who are struggling with obsessive-compulsive disorder: They’re afraid to touch doorknobs or have to fold their clothes in a certain way. But there are milder forms that are still anxiety-driven but can slip under the radar. One of the common ones is folks who seem too rigid in their routines. Overall, routines support good mental health, but here, routines govern life—they wake up late and panic because they are off course and the day is shot; the gym is closed, and there’s a scramble to find other forms of emergency exercise.
Another is excessive planning—mapping out in detail what to pack for a trip three weeks away and obsessing a bit too much about what to bring in case of some catastrophic emergency—or obsessing about not having enough food for Thanksgiving. Is this just being prepared, or maybe too excessive? Usually, this is in the eyes of the beholder, but........