Anxiety Terminology

noun feelings of extreme nervousness or unease

• The speaker had a case of the jitters before going on stage to address the audience.
• I always get the jitters before a big test.
• She was full of jitters before her first date with him.
• The stock market is experiencing jitters due to the uncertainty in the economy.

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun, in this case, 'overconscientious' describes someone who is excessively diligent or meticulous

• She was known for being overconscientious in her work, always double-checking every detail to ensure accuracy.
• He's a bit overconscientious about keeping his desk organized, even rearranging it multiple times a day.
• Some people think being overconscientious is just being a perfectionist, but I think it's more about being too uptight.
• Her overconscientious nature was like a heavy weight on her shoulders, always worrying about things that didn't really matter.

noun a sudden overwhelming fear or anxiety

verb to feel or cause to feel sudden overwhelming fear or anxiety

• The stock market experienced a sudden panic among investors.
• Don't panic, we still have time to finish the project.
• When the fire alarm went off, everyone started panicking.
• She felt a sense of panic wash over her as she realized she had forgotten her presentation.

noun a person who has a phobia or irrational fear

adjective relating to or characteristic of a phobia or irrational fear

• The psychologist diagnosed him as a phobiac after he displayed extreme fear and anxiety towards spiders.
• My friend is a total phobiac when it comes to heights; she can't even climb a ladder.
• I didn't know you were such a phobiac when it comes to public speaking!
• She's a phobiac when it comes to commitment, always running away from serious relationships.

adjective describing the superlative form of 'stressful', indicating the highest level of stress

• The upcoming deadline for the project is causing me to experience the stressiest period of my career.
• I can't handle all this pressure, it's the stressiest time of my life.
• This is the stressiest situation I've ever been in, I don't know how to deal with it.
• Trying to juggle work, family, and personal life all at once can feel like walking a tightrope in the stressiest circus act.

verb to experience a fit of rage or hysterics

• The board members would have conniptions if they found out about the financial discrepancies.
• My mom would have conniptions if she saw the mess in my room.
• Don't have conniptions, everything will be fine.
• The thought of public speaking makes her have conniptions.

verb to view or present a situation as considerably worse than it actually is, often leading to feelings of extreme anxiety or distress

• It is important not to catastrophize situations and instead approach them with a rational mindset.
• Don't catastrophize things, just take them as they come.
• Stop catastrophizing everything, it's not as bad as you think.
• She tends to catastrophize minor setbacks, turning them into major disasters in her mind.

noun a slang term for a state of extreme anxiety or panic

• The patient experienced a sudden onset of abdabs, causing them to feel anxious and agitated.
• I always get the abdabs before a big presentation, it's like butterflies in my stomach.
• She totally had the abdabs when she saw her ex with someone new at the party.
• The thought of public speaking gives me the abdabs, I just can't handle it.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

verb a word that expresses an action or state of being

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

article a word that is used to indicate whether a noun is specific or nonspecific

• As we analyze the data further, we must wait for the other shoe to drop before drawing any conclusions.
• I heard there's more to the story, so I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
• I know something's up, just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
• After the scandal broke out, everyone is just waiting for the other shoe to drop.