Fear worry
Anxious
Strength 3 of 4
On alert with no single cause to point to: the body stays braced while the mind runs ahead to threats that may never arrive.
In the body
- Breath high and quick
- A racing heart
- A churning stomach
- Muscles that won’t let go
Needs behind it
Softer and stronger
Often confused with
Afraid
Afraid answers a danger that is here now; anxious keeps the body braced for threats that are uncertain, spread out or still to come.
Stressed
Anxious is fear about what might happen; stressed is strain from too much being asked of you right now.
Worried
Worried keeps circling a particular problem in thought; anxious is wider and more bodily, an alert that can outlast any one cause.