--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Anxiety has afflicted me all my life." description: "\"Anxiety has afflicted me all my life.\" — Scott Stossel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66f/scott-stossel-12031_afflicted_anxiety-has-afflicted-me-all-my-life-174_1749111.png" --- # Anxiety has afflicted me all my life. ![“Anxiety has afflicted me all my life.” quote by Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66f/scott-stossel-12031_afflicted_anxiety-has-afflicted-me-all-my-life-174_1749111.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66f/scott-stossel-12031_afflicted_anxiety-has-afflicted-me-all-my-life-174_1749111.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66f/scott-stossel-12031_afflicted_anxiety-has-afflicted-me-all-my-life-174_1749111.png) > “Anxiety has afflicted me all my life.” [Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Anxiety has been a lifelong companion for the speaker. **In simple terms:** Living with chronic anxiety. Key Takeaway Seek coping strategies. Themes mental health anxiety longevity Mood empathetic concerned Type supportive psychological When to use this quote - daily life - work environment - social situations Key Concepts psychology stress management Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your anxiety? - Which coping methods help you most? A Different Perspective Anxiety can be managed but not always eliminated. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afflicted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afflicted/) [Afflicted Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afflicted-life-1589911/) [Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) [Anxiety Afflicted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety-afflicted-1589910/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [My life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-life/) ## Related quotes > [“Feeble, I’d become afflicted And my agony had no closure, To love I’d become immune Despite my abundant exposure”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-marino/feeble-i-d-become-afflicted-and-my-agony-had-no-closure-to-love-i-d/) [Joy Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-marino/) > [It is an easy thing to talk of patience to the afflicted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/it-is-an-easy-thing-to-talk-of-patience-to-the-afflicted/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [What single organization has done more for the orphan than the Catholic Church? What one, through hospital and asylum, more for the sick and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-josiah-brewer/what-single-organization-has-done-more-for-the-orphan-than-the/) [David Josiah Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-josiah-brewer/) > [We are all afflicted by original sin; people succumbing to temptations to do and to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/we-are-all-afflicted-by-original-sin-people-succumbing-to-temptations/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Men are apt to prefer a prosperous error to an afflicted truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-taylor/men-are-apt-to-prefer-a-prosperous-error-to-an-afflicted-truth/) [Jeremy Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-taylor/) > [Even in the greatest afflictions, we ought to testify to God, that, in receiving them from his hand, we feel pleasure in the midst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley/even-in-the-greatest-afflictions-we-ought-to-testify-to-god-that-in/) [John Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley/) > [You can't comfort the afflicted with afflicting the comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/princess-diana/you-can-t-comfort-the-afflicted-with-afflicting-the-comfortable/) [Princess Diana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/princess-diana/) > [“The capacity to pay attention to an afflicted person is something very rare, very difficult; it is nearly a miracle. It is a miracle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/the-capacity-to-pay-attention-to-an-afflicted-person-is-something/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Dillinger at one point was the second most popular man in America after President Roosevelt. And he was a national hero for a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mann/dillinger-at-one-point-was-the-second-most-popular-man-in-america/) [Michael Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mann/) > [“The Gospel is meant to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/the-gospel-is-meant-to-comfort-the-afflicted-and-afflict-the/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [Saints spring and thrive most internally, when they are most externally afflicted. Afflictions are the mother of virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-brooks/saints-spring-and-thrive-most-internally-when-they-are-most/) [Thomas Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-brooks/) > [We seem to be afflicted by a widespread and eroding reluctance to take any stand on any values, moral, behavioral or esthetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/we-seem-to-be-afflicted-by-a-widespread-and-eroding-reluctance-to/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [The truest help we can render an afflicted man is not to take his burden from him, but to call out his best energy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/the-truest-help-we-can-render-an-afflicted-man-is-not-to-take-his/) [Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/) > [ Every writer since the beginning of time, just like other people, has been afflicted by what \[a\] friend of mine calls "the fleas of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-styron/every-writer-since-the-beginning-of-time-just-like-other-people-has/) [William Styron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-styron/) > [Eastern Muslim countries, such as Indonesia and Malaysia, are relative success stories, as they are not afflicted by the Arab heritage of retreat and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-black/eastern-muslim-countries-such-as-indonesia-and-malaysia-are-relative/) [Conrad Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-black/) ## More by Scott Stossel > [“According to recent epidemiological data, the “lifetime incidence” of anxiety disorder is more than 25 percent—which, if true, means that one in four of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/according-to-recent-epidemiological-data-the-lifetime-incidence-of/) [Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/) > [I wanted to put a human face on anxiety disorders. I thought people who suffer from anxiety might recognize themselves and gain some comfort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/i-wanted-to-put-a-human-face-on-anxiety-disorders-i-thought-people/) [Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/) > [Barbra Streisand developed overwhelming performance anxiety at the height of her career; for 27 years she refused to perform for the general public, appearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/barbra-streisand-developed-overwhelming-performance-anxiety-at-the/) [Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/) > [All the textbooks talk about avoidance as a classic hallmark of anxiety disorder. So you need a therapist who is sympathetic and understanding but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/all-the-textbooks-talk-about-avoidance-as-a-classic-hallmark-of/) [Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/) > [During high school, I would purposely lose tennis and squash matches to escape the agony of anxiety that competitive situations would provoke in me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/during-high-school-i-would-purposely-lose-tennis-and-squash-matches/) [Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/) > [“The truth is that anxiety is at once a function of biology and philosophy, body and mind, instinct and reason, personality and culture. Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/the-truth-is-that-anxiety-is-at-once-a-function-of-biology-and/) [Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/) > [It's possible that I would have been better suited to being a penguin keeper. Starting out, I thought being a writer would enable me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/it-s-possible-that-i-would-have-been-better-suited-to-being-a-penguin/) [Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/) > [Generally speaking, the anxiety will pass, which is easy for me to say when I'm not in the middle of an anxiety attack. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/generally-speaking-the-anxiety-will-pass-which-is-easy-for-me-to-say/) [Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/) > [I have, since the age of about 2, been a twitchy bundle of phobias, fears, and neuroses. And I have, since the age of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/i-have-since-the-age-of-about-2-been-a-twitchy-bundle-of-phobias/) [Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/) > [When I was 5 and my sister was 3, we went on a family trip, and she ate cheese off the floor at an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/when-i-was-5-and-my-sister-was-3-we-went-on-a-family-trip-and-she-ate/) [Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/) > [People who suffer from anxiety are very good at hiding it. That can often be a contributor to the anxiety because the gap between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/people-who-suffer-from-anxiety-are-very-good-at-hiding-it-that-can/) [Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/) > [“Studies of the DSM-II found that when two psychiatrists consulted the same patient, they gave the same DSM diagnosis only between 32 and 42…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/studies-of-the-dsm-ii-found-that-when-two-psychiatrists-consulted-the/) [Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/) > [An astonishing portion of my life is built around trying to evade vomiting and preparing for the eventuality that I might.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/an-astonishing-portion-of-my-life-is-built-around-trying-to-evade/) [Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/) > [“Hippocrates, the ancient Greek doctor, concluded in the fourth century B.C. that pathological anxiety was a straightforward biological and medical problem. “If you cut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/hippocrates-the-ancient-greek-doctor-concluded-in-the-fourth-century/) [Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/) > [I am living on the razor's edge between success and failure, adulation and humiliation - between justifying my existence and revealing my unworthiness to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/i-am-living-on-the-razor-s-edge-between-success-and-failure-adulation/) [Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/) [Explore all 56 Scott Stossel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/) ## More Afflicted quotes > [“Feeble, I’d become afflicted And my agony had no closure, To love I’d become immune Despite my abundant exposure”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-marino/feeble-i-d-become-afflicted-and-my-agony-had-no-closure-to-love-i-d/) [Joy Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-marino/) > [ Every writer since the beginning of time, just like other people, has been afflicted by what \[a\] friend of mine calls "the fleas of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-styron/every-writer-since-the-beginning-of-time-just-like-other-people-has/) [William Styron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-styron/) > [The truest help we can render an afflicted man is not to take his burden from him, but to call out his best energy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/the-truest-help-we-can-render-an-afflicted-man-is-not-to-take-his/) [Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/) > [We seem to be afflicted by a widespread and eroding reluctance to take any stand on any values, moral, behavioral or esthetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/we-seem-to-be-afflicted-by-a-widespread-and-eroding-reluctance-to/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [Saints spring and thrive most internally, when they are most externally afflicted. Afflictions are the mother of virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-brooks/saints-spring-and-thrive-most-internally-when-they-are-most/) [Thomas Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-brooks/) > [“The Gospel is meant to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/the-gospel-is-meant-to-comfort-the-afflicted-and-afflict-the/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [Dillinger at one point was the second most popular man in America after President Roosevelt. And he was a national hero for a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mann/dillinger-at-one-point-was-the-second-most-popular-man-in-america/) [Michael Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mann/) > [“The capacity to pay attention to an afflicted person is something very rare, very difficult; it is nearly a miracle. It is a miracle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/the-capacity-to-pay-attention-to-an-afflicted-person-is-something/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [You can't comfort the afflicted with afflicting the comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/princess-diana/you-can-t-comfort-the-afflicted-with-afflicting-the-comfortable/) [Princess Diana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/princess-diana/) > [Even in the greatest afflictions, we ought to testify to God, that, in receiving them from his hand, we feel pleasure in the midst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley/even-in-the-greatest-afflictions-we-ought-to-testify-to-god-that-in/) [John Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley/) > [Men are apt to prefer a prosperous error to an afflicted truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-taylor/men-are-apt-to-prefer-a-prosperous-error-to-an-afflicted-truth/) [Jeremy Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-taylor/) > [We are all afflicted by original sin; people succumbing to temptations to do and to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/we-are-all-afflicted-by-original-sin-people-succumbing-to-temptations/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [What single organization has done more for the orphan than the Catholic Church? What one, through hospital and asylum, more for the sick and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-josiah-brewer/what-single-organization-has-done-more-for-the-orphan-than-the/) [David Josiah Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-josiah-brewer/) > [It is an easy thing to talk of patience to the afflicted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/it-is-an-easy-thing-to-talk-of-patience-to-the-afflicted/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [Eastern Muslim countries, such as Indonesia and Malaysia, are relative success stories, as they are not afflicted by the Arab heritage of retreat and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-black/eastern-muslim-countries-such-as-indonesia-and-malaysia-are-relative/) [Conrad Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-black/) [Browse all 65 Afflicted quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afflicted/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Anxiety has afflicted me all my life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Scott Stossel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/anxiety-has-afflicted-me-all-my-life/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Afflicted" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/anxiety-has-afflicted-me-all-my-life/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66f/scott-stossel-12031_afflicted_anxiety-has-afflicted-me-all-my-life-174_1749111.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66f/scott-stossel-12031_afflicted_anxiety-has-afflicted-me-all-my-life-174_1749111.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66f/scott-stossel-12031_afflicted_anxiety-has-afflicted-me-all-my-life-174_1749111.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Anxiety has afflicted me all my life.” — Scott Stossel", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Scott Stossel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Anxiety has afflicted me all my...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/anxiety-has-afflicted-me-all-my-life/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/anxiety-has-afflicted-me-all-my-life/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```