Idioms of Expressing Anxiety

1. break out in cold sweat
 perspire a lot because of anxiety
I broke out in cold sweat when I'm standing in front of the jury

2. butterflies in stomach 
 very nervous
At the party, I have butterflies in my stomach

3. cat on hot bricks
very nervous or restless
Are you cat on hot bricks? Just calm down, everything will be alright

4. heart in one's mouth
extremely anxious faced with dangerous or unpleasant situation
She has heart in her mouth when she saw the accident

5. bated breath
both anxious and excited about an upcoming event
He waited with bated breath for the winner to be announced

6. afraid of one's own shadow
 easily frightened
I've never seen anyone so easily scared. She's afraid of her own shadow

7. bundle of nerves
 very nervous, tense or worried
I'm a bundle of nerves that the result of the exam will be announced today
 
8. on the edge of one's heat
very interested in something and fits it both extremely exciting and nerve-wracking
He's on the edge of his seat watching the football competition

9. get fingers burnt
suffer as a result of an unsuccessful action and are nervous about trying again
He got his fingers burnt in the volleyball preliminaries that he decided to resign from the club

10. heart misses a beat
sudden feeling of fear or excitement
That explosion makes my heart misses a beat

By : Yunita Indriana