What Does Anxiety Feel Like?

Melissa, a nurse, has started to become nervous in social settings. Though she has always been shy, lately she has had extreme difficulty in a variety of social situations. One of her responsibilities at work is to take patients’ medical histories through an interview. She finds it difficult to look into her patients’ eyes, and often the mere thought of the interview sends her into a panic. Her heart beat races, her palms sweat, and her mouth gets dry. This panic-like feeling has spread to other social events as well—Melissa often avoids parties or other social functions in which she will have to introduce herself to anyone. Melissa’s fear of social contact has lead her to feel anxious in even simple daily activities such as going to the grocery store. She worries that her fear of social contact might get worse and that she will never recover to lead a normal life.

Melissa has an anxiety disorder. Melissa suffers from a particular type of anxiety called social anxiety. Other types of anxiety include phobias such as a fear of heights, fear of open spaces, and a fear of driving.