Is it stress or anxiety?

Please note: our blog posts are solely informational and are not meant to replace individualized therapeutic advice or healthcare.

Stress and anxiety can be hard to differentiate in our bodies, and many people use the words interchangeably. But they are different.

Stress is the physiological, emotional and mental response to a present trigger or issue. Impending deadlines, learning a new job role, caring for a loved one, preparing for some big event like a funeral, wedding or party. All of these examples have a clear and present cause and can feel overwhelming. So much is required of us in these scenarios and that mental and physical hustle can leave us drained. 

Stress sets off the fight-or-flight mode in our bodies which is meant to prepare us for tackling challenges and challengers. This results in a chemical and physiological burst that gives us the energy to do big things, get lots accomplished and hopefully succeed. Thankfully, stress eases once the trigger has passed, which gives us time to recuperate and recharge those reserves in our minds and bodies before the next big event. 

Anxiety is fear of some future possible event and stress results from the event itself. 

Anxiety lives in ‘what if’ questions. These typically result in worst case scenarios in our minds which can result in a deep sense of dread. Sometimes the trigger of that dread isn’t fully understood and known to the person, it lives in an automatic and unconscious part of the brain. You know something is coming around the corner, but it just never seems to come. 

Anxiety also sets off the fight-or-flight response but the triggers are less present.

Because the fear is future focused and there is always some future to focus on, anxiety doesn’t necessarily ease with passing events. That fight-or-flight response becomes more chronic which can deteriorate the brain and body’s reserves. The long term effects of unmanaged anxiety can mimic chronic stress which can include insomnia, change in appetite or digestion, low energy, brain fog, change in social behaviours and emotional reactions, and can be associated with self-medication through alcohol, drugs or whatever you use to numb out. 

Whether it’s stress or anxiety that you’re experiencing there are ways to manage and cope. Stress management may look more like managing your time and energy around a given stressor. Better schedules, delegating, more support, time for yourself, more realistic expectations etc. All of these strategies could help with the overwhelm that comes with stress.

Both stress and anxiety could benefit from physical movement, mindfulness and social connections (though that part is more complex in anxiety when social anxiety is the presenting feature).

Some treatments for anxiety could come from CBT (cognitive behavoural therapy) which will encourage you to look at thought patterns, question them and replace them with ones that feel more true. This works for some people and can certainly have a positive effect in the short term but without understanding the function of the anxiety then it will likely keep reemerging in different ways. A different therapeutic approach to anxiety would be a more emotion-focused one that looks at what the anxiety is trying to tell you, and how do you heed that warning or meet that need in a way that feels helpful instead of harmful? Even anxiety, which is unrooted fear, has some message for us to hear. Without the proper internal and external resources, it can feel overwhelming to get to the core of that message and many people choose to avoid those thoughts or situations that often result in anxiety for them. 

Because anxiety has protective intentions, with some work on establishing safety, consistency and support in your lives, it won’t need to have such a central role in how you manage yourself and the world around you.   

If you are considering anxiety therapy you can contact us with questions or book a FREE consultation.  We’ll get to know you and your needs in therapy and then pair you with the right therapist on our team. 

Read more about anxiety therapy.