To say “anxiety” is just low self esteem and confidence.

This is fundamentally incorrect.

There's no way to just "push on" through real anxiety. The answer isn't to think through "what would happen if you made the call/stepped on the train" as you're asking people.

In the case of this call to GP, if no DH, she might have done it the next day. She might have made contact online.

Some people could never do it and the child might suffer. It's an illness with varying degrees of severity just like all illnesses.

People with anxiety KNOW there's not necessarily an identifiable harm or consequence, it's not logical.

You wouldn't say to a diabetic "well, try and regulate your blood sugar, it's not that serious".

Anxiety is an illness as well. People (temporarily) lose the ability to walk, talk, dress in some cases. It can lead to delusions, hallucinations; it can be a very powerful symptom.

Sure it probably is overused - by people who really are afraid to do something but could do it; and by people who aren't but can't be arsed to do something.

And by people feeling normal stress cos their body/brain is making an alert (check the passport, be prepared for the presentation). You're still wrong.

But the idea you're putting forward here is very regressive.

You don't have to have a diagnosis to be experiencing anxiety.

YABU, you have a disgusting lack of understanding of anxiety disorders. GAD is a real, diagnosable, life limiting condition. As are other anxiety conditions. Shut up when you know nothing.

So are you saying that your point is or is not about those with anxiety disorders? What is your definition of "having anxiety".

Nothing and I do it 99.9% of the time. But that doesn't change the presence of anxiety. It doesn't stop the soul destroying feeling that you're going to die as those doors close. I can't get off until the next stop. If it breaks down, then I'm trapped. It's often very busy and very hot, which makes the panic worse.

But I take this and view it as success, because 20 years ago, stepping out the house made me panic so much I ended up on the floor of the porch with no idea how I fell, with my vision tunnelling, absolutely terrified about leaving the house for my weekend job. As a teen, with nothing to stress about, a good life, no trauma. It's not logical. Anxiety isn't logical.

And I have a good job, a career, a home, a husband. That's success. What you are likely seeing as failures, or 'fake', or lack of self esteem, are the little limits on my life that I accept with grace, because I remember when I couldn't function.

Pray you never experience that which you are so ignorant of.

I think the two things are separate and anxiety is overused such that those who really have it as opposed to nervousness about new or difficult things are often not believed.

I think you’re confusing someone feeling a little bit apprehensive about carrying out an activity with actual anxiety.

anxiety for me is like a constant alarm going off in my brain telling me that something is very very wrong; but I can’t figure out what it is. Its
getting up in the middle of the night in an absolute panic for no reason .

I had low self esteem and confidence as a teenager and was incredibly shy.

I’m very, very grateful that opting out of things like getting a Saturday job due to feeling anxious was not an option, because as difficult as it was for me at the time, I would not be the friendly functional adult I am today without those challenging life experiences!

Many years later I’m now medicated for anxiety, and it’s a feeling of fear around terrible things happening to me/family and the sheer depth of human pain possible that would make me cry uncontrollably if my mind went there, which was often.

There is a distinction between general anxiety disorders and social anxiety. But I think my view is yes, there’s not a lot of space for people to feel a normal level of worry and discomfort around real situations and work through that.

Lol

i was in an accident. I am very anxious around circumstances that remind me of it.

but sure, it’s low self esteem and confidence not the fact my body got mangled.

Your thread title is unreasonable alone for reducing the condition to a "just".

There is no 'just' about low self-esteem and confidence. It can be paralysing.

But why are you bothered that they say they have anxiety about certain things? If they feel anxious they are having anxiety about it!

If they said "I have an anxiety disorder" and that was a lie, I would get your point.

You can't object to people using a perfectly correct word for the circumstances.

I do think it's overused to be fair and I would tend to say "I'm very nervous" about something that made me feel anxious

Totally agree. I was agoraphobic for years after I had a massive panic attack totally out of the blue, I
thought I was having a heart attack. I had pains in my chest, couldn't breathe and was shaking uncontrollably, I honestly thought I was going to die and called an ambulance.
Even when they told me me what is was I couldn't stop worrying I was going to have another one. I sat alone at home in constant terror having them over and over again while the kid's were at school and my husband was at work and hid upstairs if anyone came to the house.
Many years later after seeing psychiatrists and taking medication I managed to gain some control but I still can't go anywhere on my own even now as the fear of having another panic attack has never left me.

Its a spectrum, just like many things. Your feelings and experiences around anxiety are just different to others. Anxiety can come from different places, worry, lack of confidence etc.

Please don't minimise the term because your experience is different to others, or you choose to label your experience differently to the word others use.

My friend doesn't go on aeroplanes because she has anxiety. It's not that she doubts her ability to sit on a plane...
I have medical anxiety. I stress out when I think I am ill to the point of panic attack. I do not lack confidence in my ability to get ill.

YABU there are many different reasons for anxiety from trauma through to lifelong disabilities. I have noticed a trend on here for people to dimiss difficulties that they don't have personal experience with. It is very puzzling to me.

From your examples they are not claiming to have an anxiety disorder, just that doing certain things causes them anxiety. Whether that is due to low confidence or low self esteem or not, they feel anxious, therefore get anxiety over doing those things.

You cant just snap out of it even if they do have low confidence or low self esteem. How much easier the world would be for these people if Alondrada could come along and say 'have more confidence/better self esteem' and miracle, just like that they have no fear, no feelings of ANXIETY and can do anything

I've got a friend with an anxiety disorder and she really struggles so I get bristley at a lot of posts like the op''s, but from how they've worded this one think I know what they mean...

It's like when people say they have OCD because they like to wipe their kitchen counters down regularly. Or they have PTSD when they very obviously do not. Lots of people say they "have anxiety" as in a full on condition, when what they actually mean is, some things can make them feel anxious/uncomfortable. It is not the same though.

It's the over use of serious terms/diagnosis that sort of water down just how serious they are for those that genuinely have them.

Loads of peope are anxious getting on a plane though, with good reason. Who isn't worried about medical problems?

We really need to normalise some anxiety. Yes if someone's life is massively affected and restricted, they struggle to go out alone and need treatment then that is a disorder.

Being anxious in itself is actually very normal. I think the younger generation are growing up thinking they're ill if they feel very nervous about something

You make it sound so simple! I would say i have anxiety due to low self esteem. So just like that... I can just conquer fears and gain hobbies. Of course it's so easy isn't it?

I woud disagree. Lack of self confidence and inability to operate in the world absolutely requires clinical interference. That's what therapy is for.

No one is suggesting it’s ‘easy’. But think what benefit thinking ‘That isn’t possible for me because of my anxiety’ is giving you. There will be some.

No issues here with self esteem or confidence but I do struggle with anxiety. Currently feeling crippled with anxiety waiting to take my son to a complex dental appointment but I’ll put my big girl pants on and put a smile on my face.

@Alondrada so in relation to your last post, are you saying that the category of people you are talking about in your thread title are claiming to have a mental illness that they don't really have?