Stress and anxiety usually go hand-in-hand, and the majority of people are unaware of how to draw a line between them. Any issue can cause stress, which we see as threatening and causing discomfort. On the other hand, anxiety is a constant feeling of distress and fear that may interfere with your everyday life, resulting in severe debilitation.
To handle such situations, a licensed therapist or mental health counselor requires an immediate and often emergency mental health therapeutic intervention to counter the adverse effects. This blog will thoroughly investigate the key differences between both conditions and how a psychologist or psychiatrist’s help is necessary for better clinical results. Let’s get started!
What is Stress?
Stress occurs when an individual experiences short-term emotional, psychological, and physical strain, distress, or discomfort due to internal or external factors. An individual may experience internal factors due to the inability to meet specific standards or criteria caused by high expectations or perfectionism. Similar internal factors may be classified as an overall inclination towards negativity or negative thinking, thus promoting pessimism about one’s health, financial situation, society, etc.
On the other hand, external factors may consist of various factors typically found around a person’s society, place of work, financial problems, relationship issues, major life changes and environment, etc. Internal and external factors play a key role in inducing a state of stress; consequently, individuals who may experience this feeling experience discomfort. Let’s discuss the physical and emotional symptoms of anxiety.
Physical Symptoms of Stress
Physical manifestation of stress may induce the following symptoms:
- Headaches
- Muscle tension or pain
- Chest pain
- Fatigue
- Stomach upset
- Sleep problems
Emotional Symptoms of Stress
In a stressful situation, a person may have the following emotional symptoms:
- Anxiety
- Restlessness
- Lack of motivation or focus
- Irritability or anger
- Sadness or depression
What Is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a persistent state of fear, distress, or worry that lasts for many hours to days, months, and years. On a continuum spectrum, it’s one of the worst psychological conditions that require the help of an expert, e.g., a psychologist, psychiatrist, or mental health counselor. Symptoms of anxiety may appear out of the blue and cause severe loss in quality of social and professional life, mobility, and reasoning. Let’s look at the multifaceted symptomatology of anxiety from an emotional, physical, and behavioral perspective.
Physical Symptoms
Physical symptoms that may appear before and after having an episode of anxiety are:
- Increased heart rate
- Rapid breathing (hyperventilation)
- Sweating
- Trembling or shaking
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Gastrointestinal issues (e.g., stomachaches, nausea)
- Muscle tension
Emotional Symptoms
Emotional symptoms range include:
- Feelings of nervousness or restlessness
- Sense of impending danger, panic, or doom
- Irritability
- Difficulty concentrating
- Feeling overwhelmed
Behavioral Symptoms
Depending on the therapist’s intervention and timely management, behavioral symptoms may change, lessen, or worsen over time. These include:
- Avoidance of anxiety-inducing situations or activities
- Changes in eating habits (overeating or undereating)
- Sleep disturbances (insomnia or excessive sleeping)
- Social withdrawal
- Paranoia
- Visionary and/or auditory hallucination
- Suicidal and intrusive thoughts
- Phobias (germ/food/people/places/objects)
Stress vs. Anxiety: Key Differences
It’s of utmost importance for individuals to understand the key differences between both conditions to help you or your loved one go through any of these conditions. The following head-to-head dichotomy will illustrate how to distinguish anxiety from stress:
| Feature | Stress | Anxiety |
| Cause(s) | Genetic factors, Environmental factors, Psychological factors, Medical factors, Lifestyle factors. | External Factors (Work-related pressures, Financial difficulties, Divorce/break-up, Death of loved ones, Loud noise, Pollution). Internal Factors (Personal high standards, Competitive nature, Pessimistic approach towards life, Chronic illness, Accident, Injury). |
| Duration | Minimum Few minutes to an hour or more if a stressful situation is resolved or concluded. | Minimum 5-20 minutesMaximum months to even several years if not treated. |
| Symptoms | Headaches, Chest pain, Fatigue, Stomach upset, Restlessness, Lack of motivation and concentration, sadness and irritability, Tobacco and Alcohol consumption. | Increased heart rate and sweating, Rapid breathing and shaking hands, stomachaches, nausea and muscle strains, feeling overwhelmed, difficulty in concentration, sleep disruptions, and changing eating habits. |
| Impact | Short-term: (motivating factor to resolve challenges, preparing an individual for meetings/presentations, etc) Long-term: (chronic stress leading to cardiovascular and metabolic issues like hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, nephropathy, weak immune system, etc.) | Short-term: (hyper-alertness, shortness of breath, dizziness, sudden changes in heart rate or palpitation, tremor, abdominal discomfort or diarrhea, muscular tension and fatigue) Long-term: (persistent anxiety results in chronic depression, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, body dysmorphic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obesity, sleep apnea, substance abuse, COPD, memory loss, hypertension, etc) |
Can Stress Develop into Anxiety?
The answer to this question is yes! Excessive and long-term stress does lead to anxiety and may exacerbate current symptoms and amplify their intensity as well.
Chronic stress as a trigger!
Prolonged stress can trigger severe and persistent anxiety, and individuals often go through several stages before receiving a final diagnosis. It is essential for people going through it to pay attention to sudden behavioral and emotional changes and discuss them with their therapist or counselor.
How does prolonged stress rewire the brain?
Consistent and prolonged stress not only causes deterioration in quality of life but also makes your brain more sensitive to anxiety-related situations. Additionally, individuals exposed to stress in their daily lives may determine non-stress-related cues as threatening and lose interest in daily activities.
Signs that stress is turning into anxiety
There are many techniques for noticing irregularities in your emotional and physical state and reporting them to your mental health provider. You may try to notice some of the physical signs that start with muscle tensions that last from a few weeks to months and don’t resolve on their own, even without any physical workout, like going to the gym or lifting heavy things.
Secondly, sleep disturbances are becoming a norm, and you’re unable to sleep or barely manage to sleep for a few hours. Headaches are also present, and frequent complaints of stomach aches and diarrhea are present. When we talk about behavioral signs, you may notice avoidance in activities previously used to provide comfort, such as going out with friends, attending or arranging book/social club gatherings, etc. The pervasiveness of behavioral symptoms may also result in complete or partial seclusion and extreme level of difficulty in daily life functioning.
Thirdly, individuals may exhibit emotional signs such as constant worry, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and restlessness, even without an apparent cause. As soon as any of the above-mentioned patterns of stress are present, you must ask for professional help from a certified psychotherapist.
Common Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders is a general term that comprises a plethora of psychopathologies that may overlap with each other. Anxiety-inducing conditions classified as anxiety disorders include:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Panic Disorder
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- Specific Phobias (Agoraphobia, Acrophobia, Germophobia, Hydrophobia, Pyrophobia)
- Separation Anxiety Disorder
- Selective Mutism
- Substance/Medication-Induced Anxiety Disorder
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
When Should You See a Doctor?
Individuals going through stress or chronic anxiety should consult a mental health provider as soon as possible. Individuals suffering from anxiety or stress may look for the presence of the following conditions in which they have to consult a mental health therapist without wasting any time:
Persistent Stress
Stress or anxiety affects daily life and impedes a happy and satisfied life.
Emotional Distress
Uncontrolled and volatile emotional state where individuals are unable to control emotional stability.
Behavioral Changes
Noticeable behavioral tendencies are when an individual avoids social interaction and loves isolation.
Difficulty Functioning
Unable to perform daily chores such as going to work, school, college, or outside.
Complex Mental Health Issues
If an individual has a family history of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or similar conditions and is experiencing the same symptoms, they may have a higher risk of developing the disorder.
Suicidal Thoughts
Suicidal ideation and loss of hope in life, becoming overwhelmed and unable to divert these intrusive thoughts.
Inflicting Pain on Others
Persistent thoughts of inflicting pain on anyone you dislike, and this feeling keeps you occupied throughout the day.
Need help managing stress or anxiety?
If you or your loved ones are suffering from anxiety or stress and are unable to cope with the challenges of life and are unsure with whom you should talk. Book an appointment today at Emycele Mental Health Services in Solon, Ohio, for professional help to minimize stress and anxiety with guaranteed results. Emilia Mba Chinenye is a certified nurse practitioner with more than 15 years of experience in psychotherapy, medication management, and personalized treatment plans to help you regain control of your life. Book an appointment to get better.
Managing & Treating Stress
You may take the following steps to reduce the intensity of symptoms of stress and manage it effectively.
Lifestyle Changes
To manage stress successfully, a person may start with regular exercise such as walking, running, strength training, meditation, etc. Research has shown promising results, such as a 20-30% reduction in the onset of stress symptoms.
Relaxation Techniques
Various relaxation techniques, such as meditation and deep breathing exercises, are useful in resolving some acute cases of stress. Moreover, mindfulness techniques may also be effective in reducing symptoms of stress.
Managing & Treating Anxiety
Similarly to managing stress, various steps and therapies can help manage anxiety and its symptoms, including:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy has proven useful in helping people change irrational beliefs and thoughts that are causing distress.
Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy is a widely used method for reducing symptoms by gradually exposing individuals to fear- or anxiety-provoking situations or objects.
Medication Option
Various drugs, such as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), are very effective in managing even chronic and severe forms of anxiety and other psychological disorders. SSRIs help the brain in managing hormones that may help in mood elation and reduction of depression.
Struggling with anxiety?
Emycele Mental Health Services in Solon, Ohio, offers expert counseling, therapy, and medication management to help you achieve lasting relief.
Contact Us Today to Speak with a Mental Health Expert.
Conclusion
Understanding the difference between anxiety and stress is essential for effective and long-term management of symptoms. Furthermore, talking about it with healthcare professionals such as psychologists, psychiatrists, and mental health counselors plays a good role in early intervention and problem solutions. Long-term control of symptoms of stress and anxiety is contingent on playing an active role in the individual as well. If you or your loved ones are struggling to grip mental health issues, talk to our certified and professional mental health experts.
Take the first step towards better mental health today. Schedule a Consultation Now.
