Are you stressed out or suffering from an actual anxiety disorder? It can be hard to tell the difference if you’ve never talked to a therapist before. Many of the symptoms are similar and the term “anxiety” is colloquially used as a synonym for “severe stress”—making it harder for many people to tell the difference.
There are clear distinctions, however, between stress and anxiety. Learning the difference can be the key to understanding what you’re feeling and getting the right kind of help.
Stress vs. Anxiety: Triggers and Symptoms
The clearest distinction between stress and anxiety is the cause, or trigger, of your symptoms. Stress is caused by external factors, while anxiety is an emotional response to internal triggers.
Stress can be short-term or long-term. Short-term stress may be triggered by deadlines or problems at work, an argument with a loved one, a major injury, etc. Long-term stress can be caused by persistent stressors like chronic illness, extended unemployment, or estrangement from loved ones.
In cases of both short-term and long-term stress, the cause is external, and when the cause is taken care of, the stress is relieved.
Anxiety, by contrast, is an emotional stress response with no clear, external trigger. Sometimes an external trigger is resolved, but the feelings remain. Other times, there was never an external trigger, but the individual fixates on worry over a possible future, or unknown, event.
Both stress and anxiety cause worry and/or uneasiness, leading to irritability, fatigue, muscle pain, anger, digestive issues, insomnia, headaches, and high blood pressure. The only difference, in most cases, is the presence or absence of a reasonable external cause.
Still unsure? Our simple anxiety quiz can help you determine if you are suffering from an anxiety disorder. Take the quiz →
Coping Strategies for Stress and Anxiety
The best treatment for stress is addressing and resolving the external trigger, if possible. If you have a big test coming up, for example, find a tutor and get some study help. Coping strategies can help you focus, but knowing that you’re prepared for the exam will calm your stress better than anything else.
If you are unable to resolve the stressor, or if you’re in the process of resolving it, other strategies are useful. Mild cases of both stress and anxiety can be managed to a great degree with appropriate coping strategies. Try some of the following to help deal with stress and anxiety when you start to feel uneasy and tense.
Deep breathing — Deliberately slowing your breathing has repeatedly proven to restore calm (and health) to your whole body. Count to four as you inhale, then count to four as you hold that breath in, then again as you exhale, and again before inhaling again.
Get some nature — Leave your cell phone at home and take a walk, preferably in a park or nature preserve. Green spaces are well documented de-stressors, and even 20 minutes in the great outdoors is proven to lower stress hormones.
Exercise — Even if you can’t get to nature, a walk down city streets or on a treadmill at lunch will help as well. Exercise releases endorphins, which help with stress management. You can even get ahead of stress with regular exercise.
Give thanks — One of the core tenets of positive psychology is gratitude. When you start to feel overwhelmed and stressed, take a minute to think about what you’re grateful for. You might pray your thanksgiving while you walk, write down some thoughts in a gratitude journal, or send a quick text thanking someone in your life for being awesome.
Other coping strategies are helpful for staying ahead of mild anxiety or long-term stress, such as maintaining consistent and healthy sleep patterns, making regular time for a hobby you enjoy, and getting good and varied nutrition.
When to Get Help for Stress and Anxiety
If healthy habits and basic coping strategies don’t help, you may want to talk to a counselor about your stress or anxiety.
A licensed therapist can help you understand if you’re dealing with stress or a diagnosable anxiety disorder. They can help develop a personalized set of coping strategies that may be more effective, for starters. A counselor can also tailor a course of therapy to help you understand and manage an anxiety disorder.
Types of Anxiety Disorders
There are several types of anxiety disorders in addition to Generalized Anxiety Disorder. They all feel, primarily, like increased stress with no clear external trigger, but differ in key details.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a type of anxiety disorder marked by recurring obsessive thoughts that lead to repetitive, compulsive behaviors.
Panic disorder is a type of anxiety disorder in which anxiety attacks are extreme. Panic attacks inspire intense fear without any clear trigger, with physical symptoms like increased heart rate, shortness of breath, and feelings of losing control.
Social anxiety disorder is a type of anxiety disorder that presents in social settings. Sufferers experience extreme stress responses to normal social interactions for fear of embarrassment, judgment, etc.
Other Related Disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder caused by a traumatic past event. Unexpected and sometimes loosely related triggers remind the sufferer of the event, causing anxiety and flashbacks. While this disorder is not classified as an anxiety disorder, people do experience some overlapping symptoms to other anxiety disorders.
Stress vs. Anxiety FAQs
If you still have questions about what you’re experiencing, you may want to get in touch with a counselor. In the meantime, some of the questions that our team answers a lot include:
Is stress the same thing as anxiety?
No. Stress and anxiety feel the same in most cases, but they are not the same thing. Remember: Stress is a reasonable emotional response to an external trigger. Anxiety is an irrational emotional response in the absence of an external source.
When does stress turn into anxiety?
Anxiety disorders can sometimes start as stress. Stress turns into anxiety when the external stressor is resolved or removed, but the negative emotional response is not.
If you’ve been tense about an external stressor for some time, it may take a short while to adjust and get used to the absence of that stressor. After a reasonable amount of time, though, feelings of stress should fade. If they don’t, you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder.
What do stress and anxiety feel like?
Stress and anxiety can feel like a tightness in the chest, headache, confusion, loss of control, and irritability. The persistent tension may also lead to muscle pain, digestive problems, and difficulty sleeping.
Can you have stress and anxiety at the same time?
Yes. Stress and anxiety are often concurrent. You may suffer from an anxiety disorder, but also experience additional stress about a specific, definable event or threat. You may also experience both normal and irrational stress responses to the same external stressor.
Stress and Anxiety Counseling in Texas
Stress and anxiety often feel exactly the same, but they are very distinct. Understanding which you might be suffering from is the key to getting the help that you need. Stress is triggered by external factors, while anxiety is an emotional response to an internal trigger.
When you’re ready to get some stress and anxiety counseling, finding a therapist near you is the next step. If you’re in the State of Texas, the Neema team would love to meet you and talk about how we can help manage your stress or anxiety. Our offices are in Austin and Houston, but we can meet with you virtually wherever you are in the state.
Give us a call at 512.669.5701 or schedule a free consultation online.