14 Nov What is the difference between stress and anxiety?
Recap: Thus far, you’ve learned that anxiety is a feeling of fear because you feel threatened in some capacity. It becomes a disorder when it is pervasive (meaning it continues for a long time) and it feels incapacitating in some way (meaning it restricts you from fully enjoying your life).
Here you will read about the difference between stress and anxiety
Stress and anxiety are definitely related to each other. Stress is pressure on our minds and bodies caused by a specific event, called a stressor. It is a feeling of tension that makes you feel challenged, frustrated, or nervous: You have three tests on the same day and are stressed that you will not be able to prepare well enough. When the tests are over, the stress is over as well. Remove the stressor and you remove the stress.
Anxiety moves beyond just being stressed to having a deeper sense of worry. It is worry that has an impending (meaning about to happen) sense of doom about it. It often continues after the original worrisome event is over. For example, you are anxious that you are going to freeze on the test you have to take and keep thinking about what will happen if you freeze. You take the test but still worry during the test that you are going to freeze at any moment so it’s really hard to focus. Afterwards, you continue to worry that you have failed the test and feel doomed. Your mind thinks ahead to the next test you will have to take and how you will likely freeze on that test. Even though the stressor is over, anxiety continues.
In general, when you are stressed, you are able to deal – even though you may not feel 100% certain about it at the time. With anxiety, you feel a greater sense of unease and helplessness for a longer amount of time.
DID YOU KNOW? Fear of things are called phobias and are categorized according to what the phobia is (fear of heights is acrophobia; fear of being in a place from which it is hard to escape, like in public, is called agoraphobia).
Curious as to how a person experiencing each of these might think? Read on for a quick example of the differences.
wlkhs1316
Posted at 12:56h, 08 Octoberi relate to feeling more anxious because i always have an uncertain feeling and worry inside f me at all times of the little things that should not be as important as i describe them to be (over obsessing).
WLKHS1313
Posted at 12:56h, 08 Octoberi feel both but more anxious because if i’m stressed about a test i will always look further and think about everything that can go wrong and how i didn’t prepare myself enough i will also feel anxious when i overthink things.
wlkhs1318
Posted at 12:54h, 08 OctoberI relate to being stressed out more because i have lots to stress out about. like cheer, school, getting my grades up, containing relationships with friends, chores around the house.
WLKHS1306
Posted at 12:52h, 08 OctoberI say stressed because while I do get anxious for upcoming work that may be due or tests, there is more a feeling of stressed because I do not want to do bad any of the things that may be coming up and I want to feel good about what assignment I had did.
wlkhs1208
Posted at 14:30h, 07 OctoberI relate more to feeling stressed because usually it is the smaller things that bother me
WLKHS1203
Posted at 14:29h, 07 OctoberI lean towards feeling stressed because I can deal with it, which the text states that “when you are stressed, you are able to deal – even though you may not feel 100% certain about it at the time. With anxiety, you feel a greater sense of unease and helplessness for a longer amount of time.”
WLKHS1204
Posted at 14:26h, 07 OctoberI think I relate more to being stressed than being anxious. I think this because I worry about a test or quiz, but once I start it I am fine and my worries go away, unlike anxiety.