Everyone experiences both stress and anxiety during their lives.
However, do you know the real difference between the two?
It’s easy to get them confused, as nowadays it’s common to use these words interchangeably. You may have even caught yourself do this. “I feel so anxious about how I look,” or “I’m really stressing out about my future.”
Knowing the differences between stress and anxiety will help you to better understand them and how to appropriately cope.
1. The Role of Fear
When defining the differences between stress and anxiety it’s important to note one important word: fear.
Basically, fear does not have to be present to experience stress. For example, you feel stressed when you have a busy day full of both family and work obligations. You may feel annoyed, grumpy, and even overwhelmed. However, you don’t feel fear.
On the other hand, with anxiety, fear is always present. That’s because with anxiety you are afraid that something bad will happen, either to you or someone else. For instance, someone who has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can feel afraid that a violent act could occur at any moment. This fear is carried with them throughout their day—every day.
2. What Happens When Triggers Occur
Another difference between stress and anxiety is how triggers influence your response. A trigger is anything that causes you to switch into an anxious state. You may be perfectly calm and relaxed one moment and anxious the next.
Some examples of triggers include:
Sounds, such as a car backfiring or hearing a particular song
Pictures or videos
Reading a book, newspaper, or magazine
Returning to a particular place
Being put in a situation where you feel fear.
With stress, though, you don’t need a trigger for it to occur. For example, you love your job and enjoy the work you do. However, one day your boss gets angry at you. You, in turn, feel stress. While your stress symptoms may include increased heart rate, shallow breathing, sweating, etc., it is a one-time event.
Those with anxiety will feel stress-like responses, but they are due to situations that occur repeatedly throughout their lives. In fact, if you have anxiety, you most likely try to avoid those situations as much as possible because you know what could happen.
3. One Is Internal, the Other Isn’t
If you have anxiety, you most likely already know that you have the condition. In fact, you may take medication and have seen a therapist.
Anxiety, then, can become something that you use to define yourself. For instance, it’s common to say, “I have anxiety.” Most people don’t say, “I have stress.” Instead, they say that work is crazy or that life at home is hectic.
The point is that people with anxiety internalize the condition by saying it is something they “have.” Whereas, with stress, they just list all of the problems in their life.
Thus, anxiety is internally-based, while stress originates from outside oneself.
What Stress and Anxiety Have in Common
Whether you struggle with either stress or anxiety, they both can interfere with your life. It’s hard to feel happy or content when either is present. That's because stress and anxiety drain away physical, mental, and emotional energy that you need. It becomes hard to stay focused on tasks or be attentive to those who need you. Instead, you are always on edge.
This why it is important to get help and seek out professional treatment. A therapist can help you learn how to better manage stress. And when it comes to anxiety, they can guide you to a place where you understand why you're anxious and how to better cope.
Stress and anxiety may often get confused, but they are distinctly different conditions. Knowing those difference will allow you to get the right help.