Stress or Anxiety: What's the difference, and what do you do with it?

You may feel more tension and fatigue lately. Is it stress, anxiety, or both? Knowing what you face can guide your next steps.  

Stress is usually a reaction to an external situation, such as work deadlines or unexpected events. Anxiety, on the other hand, often involves ongoing worry or nervousness even when there is no obvious external cause. Both can cause tension, trouble focusing, irritability, or feelings of overwhelm. However, knowing whether you are experiencing stress or anxiety helps you choose more effective ways to address it, since they are distinct experiences, and while many of the management overlaps, there are key things that you can do differently to manage stress or anxiety.  

                                   

 Stress

Stress often affects daily life before you notice. It usually stems from external factors, some of which are controllable, some not. Trying to control what you can’t may create stress; letting go may reduce it.  

Sometimes, when you are feeling overwhelmed, you miss easy solutions. One way to manage stress is to reach out for help—whether to a trusted friend, partner, colleague, counselor, coach, or mentor. Having someone else listen or view the situation with a fresh perspective can reveal solutions that are hard to see when you are in the thick of it. Just knowing you have support can reduce tension and stress.  

When stressed or overwhelmed, identify the causes. Are you overcommitted, or facing unavoidable events? List stressors, note what you can change, and what you can’t. If changes aren’t possible, create personal space to manage stress effectively.  

Maximizing your space includes finding ways to relax and release tension, such as walking, exercise, or meditation. Get regular rest and, if possible, good sleep. Limit caffeine and alcohol, and eat a balanced diet for both stamina and immunity. Spending time with supportive others also helps. These little things make a big difference in managing stress.  

Ignoring stress impacts you emotionally and physically. You may grow irritable, disconnected, and your worldview narrows. Constant tension brings pain, headaches, lowers immunity, and can raise health risks like high blood pressure.  

When you don’t take time to check in with yourself and recognize when there is a problem, you can continue to live in a state of high stress for a long time while it wreaks havoc on your physical, emotional, mental, and social life.  

                                            

 Anxiety

Anxiety may feel a lot like stress from a general standpoint.  However, the difference lies in its source.  So, similar to identifying what is causing the stress, we look to see what is causing the feelings of anxiety. Stressful circumstances can definitely prompt or increase anxiety in a person prone to that way of reacting.  Are there any circumstances you are currently worried about?  

In general, anxiety is part of our natural defense mechanisms.  It helps us know when there is a threat so that we can take action.  It becomes a problem when it persists even after the threat has passed.  Most of the time, anxiety becomes more unmanageable as life demands increase, and we haven’t learned the basic skills to recognize and manage anxiety when we were younger.  Because of this, there are some very small steps you can take to help decrease anxiety, some lifestyle changes you can make that will help, and, if it still feels unmanageable, counseling is often an effective way to identify its roots and start working through it.  Medication is also an option and can be used as a tool to assist you while you learn to manage your anxiety; it is a good option for some people.  

Some things you can do to manage anxiety are, first, just acknowledge it.   This may sound counterintuitive because we want it to go away, but be curious.  Notice when you feel most anxious, where you feel it in your body, and if there are situations, people, or events that impact it.  Feeling it in your body is just noticing how it manifests: is it tightness in your chest, a sinking feeling in your stomach, shaky feelings, or lightheadedness?  There are many more symptoms, but start to notice yours.  

Once you identify where it is, remember this: anxiety is just a feeling.  It comes and goes, and it isn’t forever.  Take a deep, slow breath, and as you breathe, try to breathe into the area where you feel it while just noticing.  Maybe start to try to relax that area of your body.  Curious?  Is there anything happening right now that is a threat?  If not, then it’s just a feeling, and you don’t need to worry.  You can focus on relaxing.  

Viktor Frankel’s famous quote, “between stimulus and response there is a space.  In that space is our power to choose our response...” is relevant here.  When something happens to trigger anxiety, if you take a breath and focus on yourself, assess the threat, and slow down, you then have a choice to spiral into negative thinking and panic, or reassess and stay present in the moment.   This is the process of mindfulness.  A simple practice that helps to minimize anxiety significantly, and it’s the first step toward feeling more in control.  

Let’s talk about lifestyle changes.  Similar to stress, managing your lifestyle so you have more stamina and energy to handle stressful situations or anxiety helps.  Practices like yoga are very good for anxiety (and stress) because yoga is the physical practice of mindfulness, and while you are focused inward, you don’t have the space to dwell on anxious thoughts.  It trains the brain.  If it isn’t for you, any exercise is good.  It drains energy in a positive way, helping you release tension.  Still not for you?  Try massage therapy, which is also a good way to release muscle tension and relax.  When the physical body relaxes, the mind can slow down, and the nervous system can stabilize.  Good sleep, good diet, decreasing caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol also help manage anxiety.  Sleep is critical, so if you struggle to get to sleep or stay asleep, sleep hygiene is an important focus for you at first.

As mentioned earlier, sometimes life events are stressful, and there is really nothing we can do to change them.  If you are prone to anxiety, then you may feel stressed and have increased anxiety.  Practicing the above-mentioned methods to manage stress and anxiety goes a long way in building resiliency.  Anxiety that is left unmanaged often increases and can seriously affect one’s ability to function.  Stress left unmanaged can lead to significant health issues that affect areas of life and well-being, so being aware and on top of what you can control is an important step toward your overall health.