While anxiety can be a serious mental health issue, and one that can affect anybody at any time, there may be a few zodiac signs who are more likely to have anxious habits than others. This can be due, in part, to their personality traits — which may cause them to zero in on the negative aspects of life — as well as all the excess nervous energy they're prone to carrying around.
"The inherent energy of some of the zodiac signs makes it so that they are more affected or focused on the things in life that can lead anyone to that feeling of anxiety, while the 'go-with-the-flow' signs just naturally don't attach to those things as easily," astrologer Molly Cardinal, tells Bustle. "The signs that have that kind of focus, and place more significance on the smallest of things, will obviously be more likely to become highly-bristled at [minor inconveniences], while the ones that are more big picture-oriented or diversified in their focus won't be [as bothered]."
The thing is, not everyone who falls under one of these "highly anxious" signs will have end up with anxiety. But a few of them might be more affected by stressful situations than others, or be more inclined to have nervous habits. With that in mind, read on for the three zodiac signs who are most likely to have anxious habits, as well as what they can do about it.
1Cancer (June 21 - July 22)
Cancer is known for being one of the most emotional signs of the zodiac, "namely because they are ruled by the Moon, which is the planet of our emotions," Cardinal says. Because of this, Cardinal says that Cancer may have strong feelings about small things, which can lead to some anxious habits as a result.
"The best way to improve upon this is for Cancer to take a moment in stressful situations to find some logic and reason in what's going on and to ask themselves if they really truly need to feel like the sky is falling," she says. "A bulleted list of pros/cons [...] would be a great way to take the emotions out of it for a second." And find a moment of calm.
Once Cancer develops this healthier way of channeling their worries, while gaining some perspective, they might find that their feelings of anxiety lessen over time.
2Virgo (August 23 - September 22)
As a sign ruled by busy Mercury, "Virgo is constantly observing, taking in details, and searching for perfection," Cardinal says. And that can result in anxious habits — such as being super detail-oriented or planning things down to the minute — that cause Virgo to feel overwhelmed.
"In order to overcome this perfectionism, Virgo would do well to give themselves — and others — some grace to be imperfect," she says. "Not every detail needs to be addressed and fixed right this minute, and there is beauty in a slow evolution of improvement."
In other words, by intentionally slowing down and learning how to let go, they may feel less anxiety as a result.
3Aquarius (January 20 - February 18)
"Aquarius's anxious energy can be blamed on the fact that they live in their head — and don't like to visit anywhere else," Cardinal says. Instead of settling in the "real world," they're often daydreaming, or thinking about the future.
While this can be a great quality, in many ways, "they can have too much focus — to the point of obsession," she says. "They have trouble easily shaking things off, and when you spend that much time thinking about one thing, it can spiral into something that loses its original meaning. And you can start floating away from perspective of the bigger picture."
This can create anxiety, because it means losing touch with original ideas, and any sense of how to accomplish them. "Aquarius can improve on this by getting out of their own head," Cardinal says. "Doing something physical, or perhaps a creative endeavor with their hands, gives the intellectualizing a break and puts them more into the current moment."
These signs may be more prone to anxious thoughts and habits than others, but that doesn't mean they need to feel that way 24/7. By taking time to figure out where their anxiety might be stemming from, and making a few small changes, they will be able to find some relief.
