What Is Anxiety And Depression? Feeling anxious or depressed? And wondering if there might be some connection? You’re definitely not alone. Finding the right treatment for your depression can help improve your quality of life, even if you aren’t feeling better. Anxiety and Depression both involve an intense feeling of distress. But these conditions differ in how they manifest themselves: anxiety typically involves overwhelming feelings of worry, nervousness, and fear, while depression involves lingering low feelings of sadness. What Is Anxiety? Anxiety is a feeling of uneasiness, worry, and nervousness. It might cause you to sweat, feel restless and tense, and have a rapid heartbeat. It's a normal reaction to stress for some people, but for others, the feelings don't go away. Anxieties can sometimes be a useful thing. For example, a short-term bout of anxiety can make you more alert and give you the energy to focus on a difficult problem at work. Anxiety disorders are conditions where you feel some of the same sorts of symptoms that other people might experience during times of stress. But instead of an event causing it, your brain is experiencing intense anxiety when it notices things returning to normal.