Anxiety is an extreme state of sometimes unexplained anxiousness, that wrecks people when they lack faith in themselves. Personally I suffer from terrible anxiety, and I'm still figuring out how to deal with it. Social and academic stuff scares me and I get racing heartbeat, I overthink and worsen things before they do themselves. I think acknowledging it's existence and to confront instead of to avoid is crucial. Then try to be okay with it, with your vulnerabilities and weaknesses, cause everyone has them regardless of how confident they are, as human beings, there's always going to be something that we're insecure about, and that's okay. An advice I once read somewhere is really useful, which is to evaluate your fears and ask yourself if there's any proof to them. If you think you're going to do terribly, ask yourself why? Did someone say so, did something in your past prove it? If not then it's totally irrational and unnecessary, try to convince yourself to let go of that fear even though it's hard. Drinking lots of water, listening to music, reading things and taking walks also help. I find anxiety, depression and the likes our own worst enemies, because it twists our thoughts into thinking we can't do this and that, when we might be totally capable to. Anyway, I wish you the best and here goes my favourite quote 'when you have reached the end of your rope, tie a knot on it and hang on.' :)

Anxiety is a term for when you get a feeling of fear and panick. Often it happens because you lack confidence or you have to face something that makes you really nervous (like an exam, test, job interview etc.). You overthink the situation and begin to sweat, tremble, get rapid heartbeating or simply go blank and don't know what to do or say because you are overthinking the situation so much that all the feelings and thoughts create a chaos in your mind. I am very familiar with anxiety and it mostly breaks out when I have to go to an exam or if I am in a social situation where I feel under pressure (like I have to say something or be part of the conversation etc.). It is absolutely horrible and it can feel like the anxiety is just ruining everything for you. I am trying to deal with it, for instance when I go to a test/exam I do certain stretch exercises to calm my body or I simply put some water in my face to cool down. Also, only for exams, I take some pills called Beta Blockers that help lower rapid heartbeating, so that it doesn't feel like I'm getting suffocated by my heart beating all the way up to my throat o: But in general what has helped my social anxiety the most has been going out and meeting new people and making friends :)

I have terrible anxiety. I do not know how to deal with it at all. It's just kind of something I deal with all the time and I let it happen. I avoid anything and everything that could cause thoughts like that. I'll watch a scary movie and have to lock every door in the house and perform a sage ritual. I can't watch the news because I'll hear of a doctor killing someone (even on accident) and I'll refuse to go to appointments. I have gotten use to it but it hinders a lot. I have no friends anymore because of it actually.

The best way to deal with it is head on and not avoid it. Depending on how long you had this anxiety for its good to take steps gradually and build upon what you have achieved. Also never doubt yourself and blame yourself because that makes matters worse, and just as much as you think about yourself and how you will look or feel or act in front of others, OTHERS are also thinking the samething about themselves. So its good to know and assure yourself that others do not care about how you look or feel or act, they care primarily on themselves. 

This is in relation to social anxiety and the first step that anyone should take in relation to anxiety is to talk about it with someone that they trust. 

I think anxiety happens when you lack confidence, because you're afraid of messing up in some way or you're afraid of a certain situation because you won't know how to handle it, at least that's my experience with anxiety and it's really just about overthinking the only thing you can do is try not to be so in your head and just jump into whatever and build your confidence. It's evsier said than done but it just takes time but then again I don't suffer from an etreme form of anxiety, sorry if this is long by the way.