Is there a way to get others to understand what it is like to have OCD and severe anxiety?

Explain to them what it is in a simple way and provide examples. I'm sure most people have witnessed at least once in their life (unless they're like 10) people with OCD.

I have anxiety, I tell people "its like going to the amusement park and not wanting to go on a ride. and you would do anything to not go on that ride. its like that except 10x more extreme"

i dont know the exact OCD feeling, im just gonna guess its like being on a night mare you cant escape, and in that nightmare there is a monster that says "do this perfectly or you'll die" sorry if it isnt accurate also sorry if its offensive.and yea the anxiety feels like going on a roller coeaster you didnt wanted to be in the first place, like Mariah said :)

A good way to put it in lay terms would be as follows: "With OCD, certain things MUST be done. Washing hands several times with several bars of soap, twisting the door handle three times before opening the door, having to take numbered breaths before going through a door or down stairs, the list is varied. It is a powerful psychological imperative, with severe emotional reaction if certain behaviors or situations are not adhered-to."

For whatever reason, the individual has behaviors and/or rituals that must be conducted or the individual will fixate on not having done them, to the point of debilitating anxiety.

I'm not sure how OCD feels, but I have found a metaphor for severe anxiety that tends to go over well. You say something like this : "You know the feeling when you miss a step while walking down the stairs and your heart freaks out and you can't breathe for a second? Imagine having attacks of that where you feel breathless and scared for no explainable reason for about 30 minutes to an hour."