Worried, Nervous, or Anxious? What’s the Difference?

Lindsay McMahon (0:00)

This is an All Ears English Podcast, episode 2707 Worried, nervous or anxious, what's the difference?

Welcome to the All Ears English Podcast, downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection, with your American host, Aubrey Carter, the IELTS whiz, and Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer. Coming to you from Arizona and Colorado, USA. To get real-time transcripts right on your phone and create your personalized vocabulary list, try the All Ears English app for iOS and Android. Start your seven-day free trial at allearsenglish.com/app.

Aubrey Carter (0:59)

In English, can you say that you are a worried person? Find out today and get key connection skills to talk about the universal feeling of being worried, nervous, or anxious.

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Aubrey Carter (1:45)

Hello, Lindsay. How are you today?

Lindsay McMahon (1:47)

Good, Aubrey. Not feeling too, too nervous today. What about you? Are you anxious today?

Aubrey Carter (1:53)

No, I'm not normally a very anxious, nervous person. What about you, Lindsay?

Lindsay McMahon (1:59)

Since I had a kid about six months ago now, I've become a little more nervous, I guess. It definitely taps into your anxiety.

Aubrey Carter (2:08)

For sure. Parents, you have so much more to be worried about.

SPEAKER_3 (2:12)

So much more to stress over.

Aubrey Carter (2:14)

For sure. Well, you recently went on a trip and took the baby, right? So that you've seen how travel can be so much more, can have a lot of anxiety about things happening, things going wrong. It's harder with a baby.

Lindsay McMahon (2:29)

Oh, it's harder. Yeah. I think I haven't heard a scream at the level that we heard until now when he was hungry. You know, he stopped for food and he was starving, the travel scream, right? So, yep, yep. It's always an adventure.

Aubrey Carter (2:43)

I think I've experienced that. There's no hunger like being hungry while traveling. It's true. It's true.

Lindsay McMahon (2:48)

Hanger, right? Well, that's what we're getting into today. So anxiety, being anxious, being nervous. Tell us about this topic today, Aubrey.

Aubrey Carter (2:56)

Yeah, this is interesting. So we have heard a common student error that is to say, I'm a worried person, which makes sense because we just say, I'm worried, right? So why can't we say, I'm a worried person? This is a common mistake. We're excited to dive into the grammar here. What is up with these adjectives? Why can you say, I'm a blank person or not? This will be good.

Lindsay McMahon (3:23)

Oh, this is great. And this is so important for connection because obviously these are relatable feelings. All of us, whether we're a nervous person, an anxious person or not, you feel this at certain times in your life, right? Anxiety, nervousness.

So we can relate to this, okay?

Aubrey Carter (3:40)

Exactly. Absolutely. And this is more and more, especially a really good way to connect in English. Once upon a time, generations ago, we didn't talk about so much things that we were worried about, things we felt anxiety over. But more and more we do, we're more open. People are more open about if they are seeing a therapist, what they feel anxiety about. This is more and more a great way to connect with people.

Lindsay McMahon (4:05)

No, that's a good point. Maybe even, for example, maybe even 10 years ago when we started this podcast, people may not have been talking about that as much.

Aubrey Carter (4:13)

That's true. Not even generations ago, just like a decade ago. That's true. Good point.

Lindsay McMahon (4:18)

Fascinating. Guys, hit follow or hit subscribe. If you're watching this on YouTube, which you could be, make sure you are subscribed to our All Ears English YouTube channel. We love to approach English from a vantage point of connection. Every episode helps you create stronger connections because ultimately that's what creates a happier life. So that's why we're here as a show.

Aubrey Carter (4:40)

Exactly. Yes. So hit follow wherever you listen to podcasts. We are excited for you to learn English with us and build fluency. And something like this, it's fascinating to get into these little errors that we can definitely understand how this happens. It seems like you should be able to say this, right? I know. It seems like you should.