Stress and anxiety are ways in how our body naturally reacts to danger. It is a usual part of our flight or fight response.
Stress and anxiety both of these feelings are usual, but in some cases, it can be quite fearful for you.
Here, you will know the difference, comparison of these two feelings and also know about the treatment and ways of managing them.
Here you will also learn when you may be benefited from medical help.
Read More: How to deal with Depression and Anxiety:10 Best Ways
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Difference between Anxiety and Stress
As I told you earlier, stress and anxiety are involved in our body’s fight or flight response.
Stress hormones (kinds of chemicals that are naturally present in our body) are released by our bodies when we think that we are endangered by something.
Due to the release of these stress hormones, our heartbeat becomes faster, due to which blood plumping to our organs and limbs increases.
This response helps to prepare either to fight for our life or to run for our life. It makes our breathing faster and also increases our blood pressure.
In the meantime, this response also makes our senses sharper and causes the release of nutrients into our blood, which ensures that all our bodies have the energy we require to fight the threat.
This is a very fast process, and it is known as stress by experts. Anxiety is the way in how we react to that stress.
Most of you are familiar with anxiety as a feeling of uneasiness, distress, or fear that you usually have before a very special event. These feelings help you to be cautious and attentive.
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The response known as fight or flight acts when you are under a physical, emotional, real, or a recognized threat.
Though this response can turn out to be helpful for you, there is still a chance that it can severely affect your daily life.
Symptoms of Stress and Anxiety
Many of the symptoms are quite similar.
When someone is stressed, they may experience:
- Heartbeat getting faster
- Breathing getting faster
- Worrisome thoughts
- Anger, irritation, and moodiness
- A feeling of unhappiness
- Getting overwhelmed
- A feeling of being lonely
- An uncomfortable feeling which is known as nausea
- Dizziness
- Constipation or diarrhea
When someone is anxious, they might experience:
- Heartbeat getting faster
- Breathing getting faster
- Uneasiness and having a fear of the evil
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Sweating
- Getting nervous
- Feeling tensed
- Being impatient
Read More: 8 Physical Symptoms of Chronic Depression and Anxiety
How to tell Stress from Anxiety
It will be quite difficult to find a difference between stress and anxiety as they are part of the same bodily response and feature the same symptoms.
Stress doesn’t tend to be longer, and it only shows a response to potential danger.
Whereas stress and anxiety symptoms may stick with for a long period and sometimes it may look like that there is no reason for its cause.
Treatment and Management
There are many ways in which you can manage or treat stress and anxiety; they include:
Some relaxation hacks
There are some relaxation hacks to relieve stress and anxiety; they are:
- Breathing exercises
- Imagining a peaceful and relaxing scenario like a beach or a greenish field
- Performing yoga
- Performing ta chi
- Counting slowly to 10
- Exercise
You can involve in physical activities to deal with stress. Those activities can be brisk walking, cycling, or running.
Other physical activities like yoga are also helpful in making you feel relaxed.
Read More:8 Causes of Teenage Depression: Especially for College Students
Talking about it
Having a conversation with others about your tensions can help you in dealing with stress.
You can sit with them face-to-face, or contact them over your phone, or through the internet.
The person you can talk about your problems can be your friend, family member, partner, or colleague or can be anyone whom you trust with your life.
It is advised by the Anxiety and Depression association that people should take good care of their body and mind, and whenever they can, they should take action.
People can follow these ways on how to relieve THEM:
Accept the fact that everything is not in their hands
Choose what’s best for them rather than targeting for perfection
Find out what is causing their stress and anxiety
- Take caffeine and alcohol in a limited amount
- Have a balanced diet
- Have enough sleep
- Regularly exercise
Read More: 4 Types of Yoga Exercise for Blood Circulation Inside Your Body Muscles
Can one turn into the other?
Stress can sometimes turn into anxiety. Stress is how our body reacts to danger and anxiety is our body reacts to stress.
When to See a Doctor
Stress and anxiety can’t be seen as something very unpleasant.
It is usual to have them, and they are needed to keep us safe via some short-term reactions.
You should consider speaking to a doctor if you are troubled by stress or anxiety for a long amount of time.
There is a chance that you may be a victim of chronic stress and anxiety order.
Warning signs to look out for include:
- Too much anxiety that badly affects your daily life
- Not using drugs or alcohol properly to fight stress or anxiety
- Having unreasonable fears
- An unusual change in your sleeping habits
- An unusual change in your eating habits
- An unusual change in your hygiene habits
- Having a low mood for a long time
- Planning or thinking to harm yourself
- Thinking of suicide
- Feeling like you have no control over yourself
Read More: Home Remedies for Depression: 5 best Depression Home Remedies
Summary
Stress and Anxiety are just how we react to a threat or a worrisome situation, and it is entirely usual to have them.
They are present in our fight or flight response, which helps us to fight danger by making our body ready for that danger.
You can deal with stress through some relaxation hacks; they can be breathing exercises, any kind of physical activity, and sharing your problems with others.
They can also have an overwhelming effect on you, which can cause chronic stress or anxiety disorder.
And if you think that your stress or anxiety is badly impacting your daily life, then you should consider talking to a doctor.
