Anxiety Vs Stress: Key Differences and How to Manage Both

What Is Stress?

Stress is the natural way the body responds to challenges and demands. Stress can be triggered when a person feels overwhelmed. When exposed to a mild amount of stress, an individual can become motivated to complete certain tasks. However, a prolonged or excessive amount can be detrimental to mental and physical health.

Physical and emotional symptoms of stress include:

• Migraines
• Tension in muscles
• Tiredness
• Difficulty sleeping.
• Issues with digestion
• Mood swings
• Difficulty with remembering things
• Low motivation

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Short-term Vs long-term stress

When measured by duration, there are two types of stress: short-term and long-term stress.

Short-term or acute stress is triggered when there is an immediate threat or challenge. This type of stress is temporary and settles once the individual effectively handles the situation.

When rushing to meet a deadline or doing several tasks at the same time, the feeling of ‘being stressed can be triggered.’

Contrary to short-term stress, long-term or chronic stress occurs when the threat or challenge happens for an extended time, leaving one exhausted and overwhelmed.

For example, a person going through a financial crisis, working under an extremely tight schedule, or in a draining relationship can experience prolonged levels of stress.

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety is used to describe how the body responds to uncertain situations, threats, or even stress.

A person who experiences anxiety often feels uneasy, nervous, fearful, or worried. They may constantly fidget or tap their legs in a frantic pattern.

Like stress, a moderate level of anxiety can motivate a person to take action, whereas a high level is detrimental to well-being. This can tamper with the person’s ability to carry out daily activities.

Factors such as a person’s genetic history, personality traits, trauma, and medical conditions can be responsible for anxiety.

While these factors largely contribute to the feeling of anxiety in a person, other specific situations can trigger this feeling.

For example, a person can be triggered by a traumatic event such as a childhood trauma or violence. Other situations can be lack of sleep, worrying about the health of a loved one, etc.

Some symptoms of anxiety include:

• Trembling
• Difficulty breathing
• Stomach ache
• Rapid heartbeat
• Insomnia
• Avoiding the situation in question
• Panic attacks

Key Differences Between Anxiety and Stress

Stress and anxiety have related symptoms. However, the key difference between anxiety and stress lies in factors like the duration, triggers, and physical effects.

• Duration: Stress is typically short-term, while anxiety can be long-term. For example, a worker can feel stressed out when rushing to meet a deadline. The stress then dissolves once he completes the work. Anxiety, on the other hand, often goes on for a prolonged period ranging from days to sometimes years.
• Triggers: Stress is often linked to specific events, while anxiety can arise without a clear cause. Unlike stress, anxiety can be triggered without any specific event happening.
• Physical Symptoms: Stress causes tension and fatigue, while anxiety can lead to constant worry and panic attacks. Common symptoms of stress may include issues with digestion, rapid breathing, and difficulty concentrating. On the other hand, symptoms of anxiety can include constant worry, nervousness, insomnia, etc.

How Stress and Anxiety Affect the Body

Stress and anxiety can affect the daily functioning of an individual. Here are some of the ways stress and anxiety affect the mental health of an individual.

• Stress and anxiety can affect an individual’s ability to concentrate on minor things, make simple decisions, and even remember basic things.
• When a person is stressed or anxious, they tend to be easily irritated, overwhelmed, and depressed.
• Anxiety and stress can result in a person experiencing panic attacks, feeling dizzy, and having difficulty with breathing.
• Due to high levels of stress, a person avoids interacting with people, choosing to be alone.

Stress and anxiety can affect a person physically, resulting in:

• Inability to sleep: Stress and anxiety can result in a person losing their ability to rest peacefully.
• Weight changes: Stress can cause a person to overeat or undereat, losing or gaining a significant amount of weight.
• Weak immune system: A high level of stress can weaken the rate at which the body defends itself against infections, making the individual susceptible to sickness.

Stress-related Illness

When stress is not properly managed, it can lead to different health issues such as

• High blood pressure
• Muscle cramps
• Headaches.
• Problems with digestion.

Prolonged anxiety can cause health problems such as:

• Dizziness
• Rapid heart rate
• Insomnia
• Shortness of breathe

Effective Strategies for Managing Stress

When stress becomes overwhelming, an individual’s daily functioning can be greatly affected negatively. But with the help of effective stress management techniques, stress symptoms can be managed and well-being restored. The points below explain how to manage stress and anxiety for well-being.

1. Building and maintaining a healthy lifestyle

By making certain adjustments in your lifestyle, stress levels can be massively reduced, improving general well-being. Here are some improvements you can make to reduce stress:

Exercise:
When a person engages in physical activities regularly, the body reduces cortisol and adrenaline, the stress hormones. Exercise also boosts endorphins, improving mood and emotional well-being.

Relaxation techniques:
Engaging in relaxation techniques such as slow, deep breathing can soothe the nervous system. Also, practicing mindful meditation can help the individual focus on the present moment, reducing stress.

2. Time management and prioritization

When time is not managed properly, a person can easily slip into stress mode, resulting in anxiety. Learning to set priorities is a must if the goal is to reduce stress. Using tools like to-do lists and alarms can help a person increase productivity.

Also, avoiding procrastination and enforcing boundaries are proven ways to manage time better to avoid stress and anxiety.

3. Seeking professional help

Sometimes prolonged stress can become too overwhelming to handle. In such a case, the best option would be to reach out to a trained and qualified professional. This expert will support and provide the individual with coping strategies. Professionals can also recommend support groups and medication to curb the high-stress level.

Effective Strategies for Managing Anxiety

Anxiety symptoms can be managed with the right strategies, such as lifestyle change, therapy, and brain supplements. Here are some of the anxiety management strategies:

1. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

CBT is an effective strategy to treat anxiety. Through cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety, individuals:

• Are guided to identify and address certain negative thought patterns responsible for continued anxiety.
• Discover even better ways to handle trigger situations.
• Learn how exposure therapy can help them gradually challenge their fears.

Other therapy strategies that can help an individual manage their anxiety include:

• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) teaches individuals to practice mindfulness and accept anxious thoughts instead of resisting them.
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which helps individuals focus on regulating their emotions and practice tolerance

2. Meditation, Mindfulness, and Relaxation Techniques

When a person intentionally practices mindfulness and meditation, they redirect their brain’s focus to the present instead of constantly worrying about future events.

Some techniques that can be used to practice mindfulness and meditation include mindful breathing, visualizing a calm environment, mindfully scanning the body, etc.

Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing exercises, aromatherapy, and progressive muscle relaxation can also help manage stress symptoms.

Practices such as mindfulness, meditation, and therapy are great strategies to manage anxiety symptoms. However, certain minerals, herbal supplements, and vitamins can help individuals reduce stress, balance the brain’s chemistry, and boost mood regulation. These substances are called brain supplements.

The Role of Brain Supplements in Managing Stress and Anxiety

Here are some ways brain supplements can help an individual deal with anxiety.

When taken, brain supplements:

• Regulates neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and GABA, affecting the relaxation and mood of an individual.
• Reduces the stress hormones, such as cortisol, which affects anxiety levels.
• Supports the cognitive well-being and brain functionality of a person.

Here is how the best supplements for stress relief help individuals reduce stress and anxiety.

Adaptogens:
Adaptogens are organic herbs that help the body regulate stress and retain balance. Adaptogens such as ashwagandha help the body lower its cortisol levels, build its resistance to stress, and boost the mood of the individual.

Magnesium:
Magnesium can be called a relaxation mineral as it is responsible for the relaxation of the muscles and the functioning of the nerves.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids:
This supplement is present in fish oil and contains anti-inflammatory elements that can support the health of the brain. The omega-3 fatty acid majority regulates dopamine and serotonin levels. This regulation boosts the mood and brain functionality of an individual.

When choosing natural remedies for anxiety and stress, ensure you:

• Consider your needs While some people do better with adaptogens, you may respond more to omega-3.
• Choose a high-quality supplement. Ensure that the quality of the brand has been tested and approved before using it.
• Speak to a qualified healthcare professional before you begin taking supplements, especially if you have health problems or are on medication.

When To Seek Professional Help

Taking measures to manage anxiety and stress is great. However, it is necessary to understand when stress and anxiety have become unmanageable and you need to consult a professional.

You need to seek help from a qualified professional if:

• You constantly feel panic, worry, and fear, and this feeling doesn’t reduce.
• You easily feel irritated, regularly have mood swings, or feel emotionally numb.
• You experience chronic head and muscle aches.
• You feel nausea, loss of appetite, or digestive problems.
• You lack motivation and struggle with getting easy tasks done and struggle with concentrating or making decisions.

You need to consult a qualified professional because they can help you:

• Effectively understand the cause of your symptoms.
• Learn about the most effective treatment strategy.
• Master how to regulate stress and normal levels using techniques such as the Cognitive Behavioral test.
• Begin treatment to avoid progressing into health problems such as heart disease.