Is this Stress or Anxiety?

What’s the difference between stress and anxiety and when is it a problem? 

Stress is the normal response our bodies have to any change. It can be positive or negative. It can help us rise to meet challenges. It is what keeps us on our toes, prevents us from making costly mistakes and sharpens our concentration. However, too much stress or experiencing stress over extended periods of time can leave us feeling frazzled, overloaded, exhausted, unappreciated, agitated or over-reactive.

Keep reading this post to learn more about stress- the good the bad and the ugly- how it differs from anxiety and how to cope with it.

Good Stress

The technical word for good stress is ‘eustress’. Typically, with eustress you are focused on your goals, not focused on threats. This type of stress can be energising and give rise to that feeling of being ‘pumped’ or ‘in the zone’. It can be that extra boost of adrenaline needed to get things done.

Bad Stress

Problems arise when stress levels become very high or we remain stressed for long periods of time. This can lead to distress, where stress stops being helpful and starts causing problems. Distress can disrupt our bodies internal balance and impact our health, mood relationships, productivity and overall life.

Chronic Stress

Our bodies are designed to react to stress with the ‘fight or flight’ response. When this natural stress response becomes activated over prolonged periods, it can wreak havoc on our physical and emotional health. Over long periods, cortisol and adrenaline can build up in the bloodstream and compromise the immune system, digestive system and reproductive system. Prolonged stress can increase your risk of heart attacks, stroke and accelerate the aging process. This may lead to physical symptoms such as headaches, an upset stomach, high blood pressure, chest pain, sexual dysfunction and sleep problems. 

You can also experience emotional problems from prolonged high stress. These problems often include depression and anxiety. 

The Difference Between Stress and Anxiety

There’s a fine line between stress and anxiety. Since anxiety and stress have similar symptoms, it is important to be able to understand the difference between the two and how they feed into one another. Both are emotional responses, but stress is typically caused by an external trigger. 

Stress is our response to positive or negative changes that may or may not be within our control. The less control we feel we have over a stressful situation, the more intense our reaction is likely to be. Work, family, social relationships and finances tend to be the leading causes of stress. Causes of everyday stress may not even seem particularly threatening, but when this ‘routine’ stress builds over time it can lead to burn out and other problems.

Anxiety, on the other hand, is characterized by persistent worry thoughts that do not go away even in the absence of a stressor. Anxiety is often a result of prolonged stress, along with depression and panic attacks. Though stress is not necessarily anxiety and does not manifest itself as anxiety in all people. Anxiety leads to nearly identical symptoms: insomnia, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, muscle tension and irritability. As with stress, we all experience anxiety sometimes and occasional anxiety is no cause for concern. However, if you are experiencing anxiety that is uncontrollable it may interfere with your day to day functioning and you may have an anxiety disorder. 

The good news is that anxiety is highly treatable and there are many ways to build your tolerance of stress. Both mild stress and mild anxiety respond well to healthy routines that include exercise, a nutritious and varied diet, good sleep, periods of relaxation and mindfulness. 

While it is impossible to eliminate stress from your life, you can build your capacity to cope with it. This is called your ‘distress tolerance’. By understanding that stress is a natural and normal part of being human, you can focus less on getting rid of the feeling of stress and more one responding in helpful ways rather than unhelpful ways. 

To discover more about how to conquer anxiety, order your copy of my book “The Mind Strength Method: Four  Steps to Curb Anxiety, Conquer Worry and Build Resilience”