Is it Stress or Anxiety? 4 Ways to Tell the Difference
Anxiety and stress are two words that, well, can cause anxiety and stress. We all want to be mellow and feel relaxed. It’s inevitable that life, at times, will not cooperate with this desire. This is normal and nothing to feel shame about. However, when either or both of these two normal responses — anxiety and stress — become overwhelming, there can be dire circumstances.
A powerful step toward managing stress or anxiety is learning how to differentiate between the two. This empowers you and your therapist to create an appropriate and effective treatment plan. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look.
Is it Stress or Anxiety?
Spoiler alert: neither word automatically means anything bad. Let’s say any of the following occurs:
Change (especially major and sudden)
Increased responsibilities
Unexpected demands
Money problems
A traumatic experience
Any of these (and more) will cause stress. Even the happy events are stressful in their own way. Every person has a unique response to and threshold for stress. It can motivate you. It can overwhelm you. Left unchecked, it can cause mental and physical ailments. Typically, the best remedy is rest and relaxation.
Anxiety is equally as normal. At times, this emotion can protect us or even save our life. Stress can be the beginning of anxiety — causing nervousness, worry, dread, fear, and panic. It is vital to understand that anxiety can be a diagnosable mental health disorder. This means the treatment is far more complex than just taking a day off.
4 Ways to Tell the Difference
1. Stress is almost always caused by something external
Yes, you can stress yourself out, but far more often, stress directly results from a factor being introduced into your life. See the list above. Those changes, demands, and responsibilities can stem from your relationship, health, job, kids, and more. In almost every case, the stress decreases as the external factors are eased or removed.
2. Anxiety is an internal response to external stress
The stressor upsets you and throws you off. But, if you remove the stressor and still feel signs and symptoms, it’s probably anxiety. Anxiety is designed to guide and protect us. It launches our fight-or-flight response. When we face too much pressure, we can get stuck in that stress reaction and this is typically the beginning of an anxiety disorder.
3. Stress is more manageable
It’s not fun, but you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Plus, a funny video or a night out with friends can usually tamp down the negative vibe. Anxiety can hamper one’s ability to function on a daily basis. Simple tasks feel daunting, and this can include just leaving the house.
4. Anxiety can be based on perception instead of a reality
Your boss reprimands you and understandably, you experience stress. Anxiety is when you are certain that you’ll be fired, lose your house, and have to live on the street. Anxiety is a response to a real or perceived threat and this makes it more insidious. It can turn into a pervasive sense of dread and worry. Again, you do not need an actual trigger to experience anxiety.
Now What?
You know a little more about the difference between stress and anxiety. Perhaps you have a better idea of what you’re dealing with. Now what? It’s time to make certain. Self-diagnosis is a tricky proposition so reach out for professional guidance. Both scenarios — stress or anxiety — can be managed, addressed, and relieved. The key is to ask for help. Thus, I invite you to reach out to set up a free and confidential consultation.
Learn more about our anxiety therapy in Plainview, New York
