problematic	anxiety.
FEAR
ANXIETY
Fear	is	present-focused	and	generally	rational
in	that	it’s	responding	to	a	threatening	situation
or	event.
Anxiety	is	future-focused	and	can	easily
become	irrational	because	it	is	untethered	from
real	events.	Your	imagination	continually	calls
up	what-if	scenarios.
You’re	in	the	here	and	now.	There	is	a	fire	in
the	house,	and	you’re	figuring	out	how	to	put	it
out.	Once	the	fire	is	out,	your	fear	subsides.
You	feel	worry	and	discomfort	even	though
you	are	not	in	immediate	danger.	No	clear
threat	is	present	and	there	is	no	clear	way	to
solve	the	concern.
Fear	comes	from	real	threats	in	the	outside
world,	e.g.,	job	loss;	medical	diagnosis;	illness
of	a	loved	one;	threat	of	being	physically
harmed;	wanting	to	do	well	on	a	specific	task,
such	as	a	speech	or	an	exam;	wanting	to	make
a	good	impression	on	new	acquaintances.
For	the	most	part,	anxiety	isn’t	created	by	the
outside	world;	it’s	created	by	your	mind.	You
worry	about	possibilities	that	may	or	may	not
happen,	such	as:	“What	if	they	don’t	like	me?”
“What	if	the	plane	crashes?”	“What	if	I	can’t
leave	the	movie	theater?”	“What	if	they	hate
me?”	“What	if	I	have	a	panic	attack?”	“What