Don't Forget Other People Have Anxiety Too

Do you ever have days when you swear people are acting hostile, rude, or just downright weird? I'm a cashier at a grocery store, so I see all kinds of social behavior "in the wild," so to speak. And yes, I'm aware that my anxiety can warp my perception of other people, but that can't completely explain how some people act on occasion.

Because some people do strange things, like mumble unintelligibly while not making eye contact. They look mostly at their feet, except to glare at me when I ask if they want paper or plastic. And, sometimes, they seem very tense and wide-eyed, like they're on the verge of bolting out the door without their groceries or their change.

It's strange. I'm not quite sure what to make of it. It's almost like, like, oh my God! It's almost like they have anxiety too (smacks self in forehead).

Lots of Other People Also Have Anxiety

You may have already heard this, but it still bears repeating: anxiety is the most common form of mental illness, at least in the United States. 18% of American adults live with some kind of anxiety disorder. That's 40 million people, which means that for every 10 people in my checkout line, approximately two of them are struggling with the same things I am.

Not only does this make me empathize, it also reminds me that others' sometimes brusque behavior is nothing personal. They're getting by the best way they know how, the same as I am.

Here's how the most common types of anxiety disorders in the U.S. breakdown:

• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) -- Characterized by persistent, out-of-control worry, 6.8 million U.S. adults (3.1%) have GAD.
• Panic disorder -- About 6 million (2.7%) have panic disorder, and there are about twice as many female sufferers as male ones. Those with panic disorder are likely to also have major depression.
• Social anxiety -- No doubt the cause of some of the behavior I see at work described above, 15 million people (6.8%) have social anxiety. It affects men and women equally and often begins at puberty.
• Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) -- PTSD is a type of anxiety disorder that occurs after suffering a traumatic event like rape, combat, or childhood sexual abuse. 7.7 million adult Americans (3.5%) have PTSD.
• Specific phobias -- 19 million of U.S. adults (8.7%) have a specific type of anxiety called a phobia, for example, claustrophobia. Women are twice as likely to have phobias as men.

I spend a lot of time worrying that there's something wrong with me and that other people think I'm weird. What a relief to remember that lots of other people have anxiety too and probably think they're just as weird as I'm afraid that I am. There's lots of us out there. I'm not alone, and neither are you.

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