What is anxiety?

Anxiety is like having a worried friend who doesn’t want you to get hurt, but keeps reminding you about all the things that could go wrong.

Imagine you're about to play your favorite game, and suddenly your friend says, “What if you lose? What if no one likes you anymore?” That’s anxiety, it's like having a loud voice inside your head that keeps saying “Something bad might happen!” even when everything looks okay.

Sometimes anxiety feels like a storm is coming before the rain starts. You know it might not be raining right now, but you can feel the wind and hear the thunder in the distance, and that makes you want to run inside just in case.

Just like your friend wants you to stay safe, anxiety doesn’t mean something bad is going to happen. It’s more like a big imagination that helps you prepare for what might come next.