What's the difference between anxiety and stress?

Anxiety can lead to stress and stress can lead to anxiety but that doesn't mean everyone will feel both. Stress feels like you have this weight on you, it keeps you awake and feeling like you are almost always behind or still have so far to go. Anxiety feels like a small explosion went off in your mind. All of your thoughts are jumbled together and racing through, your stomach feels like it has crawled up to your throat or tied itself up in a thousand knots. Anxiety is never fun to deal with but some people thrive under stress.

Stress is a natural reaction we humans have to certain situations. Stress in the early stages can be helped through taking time out to unwind and striking a healthy work/life balance. Anxiety is a condition which can affect how we perceive certain situations, for example causing us to believe there is something to be afraid of in an otherwise perfectly normal situation. Both are very common, and there is help available for both stress and anxiety,

Stress goes away and is easily manageable. Anxiety is uncontrollable and takes a lot of work to manage and lasts for longer than stress ever will. Neither defines who you are as a person.

There’s many differences between anxiety and stress, in my own opinion. Anxiety for me seems to be something that is unavoidable and happens more frequently, and usually occurs in social situations. When I have anxiety, I feel more worried. However, when I’m stressed, it’s usually about things that aren’t social (ex. A big paper due). I also have noticed that rather than being worried when I’m stressed, I tend to take it out in a more angry way.

Stress is a response to a threat in any given situation. It can be positive or negative. If you have difficulty managing stress and it impedes your ability to carry out your normal daily activities (like getting to work on time), talk therapy can help. Anxiety, on the other hand, is a sustained mental health disorder that can be triggered by stress. Anxiety doesn’t fade into the distance once the threat is mediated. Anxiety hangs around for the long haul, and can cause significant impairment in social, occupational, and other important areas of functioning. When stress no longer feels manageable and symptoms of anxiety interfere with your daily living, it’s time to seek an evaluation from a licensed mental health practitioner.