For some people, life is relatively easy. They can go through life without much stress, worry, or overthinking. However, for others, anxiety is a major issue. While someone qualified with a DNP-PMHNP online would be an expert in this area, it can be difficult for those who don’t know the ins and outs to recognise anxiety. That’s why we’ve prepared this helpful article which will outline a basic guide to anxiety and how you can recognise when what you’re experiencing is more than mere stress. So, continue reading to learn more about anxiety and what separates it from stress.
What is stress?
Stress is not pleasant to experience, but it is indeed different from anxiety. Stress is typically caused by an external trigger called a stressor. Stressors may be short-term, such as a looming work deadline or a conflict with a friend or family member. They can also be long-term, such as unemployment, discrimination, bullying, chronic illness, or caring for an unwell family member.
People who are stressed usually experience some mental and physical symptoms as a result, such as irritability, muscle aches and pains, digestive issues, fatigue, anger and insomnia. However, when the stressor is removed, the person will typically return to normal, and these symptoms will disappear along with the stressor. An example of this is when you submit a piece of work that you had a sharp deadline for and feel relieved and like a weight has been lifted from your shoulders.
Stress is normal, and so is worrying
We all get stressed from time to time, due to the external factors in our lives. Many things can cause stress, such as finances, work, kids, school, study, a messy house or more factors. And, for that fact, worrying is also relatively normal. Most people will fret over things, such as what we’ve listed above, or worry about an upcoming event, job interview, social gathering, or other event. These feelings of stress and worry can be normal or even useful, as they can give us a boost of energy or help us focus on a task. However, for those with anxiety disorders, stressors and worries can amplify and cause a debilitating reaction.
What is anxiety and how do you recognise anxiety?
In the UK, it’s thought that eight million people are dealing with an anxiety disorder at any time. Someone with an anxiety disorder, such as Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), tends to have feelings of fear, uncertainty, and worry that interfere with their everyday living and activities and tend to last more than six months.
In order to diagnose GAD, a clinician will look for symptoms, including excessive, difficult-to-control worry, which occurs most days over six months. The worry may jump from topic to topic or result due to stressors in the person’s life. GAD is usually accompanied by the physical symptoms of anxiety, which might include:
- Muscle tension
- Sweaty palms
- Headaches
- Increased heart rate
- Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
- Nausea
- Insomnia
- Digestive issues
- A sense of immediate danger or impending doom
Panic disorder
Another type of anxiety disorder that can be diagnosed is called panic disorder, which is defined by sudden attacks of anxiety that may cause a person to sweat, feel dizzy, and leave them gasping for air. A panic attack can feel like a heart attack or fainting spell, and sometimes people experience a panic attack without knowing they have an anxiety disorder until they wind up in hospital due to their panic attack.
Phobias and social anxiety
Anxiety may also manifest in the form of certain phobias (such as fear of flying and fear of leaving the house) or as social anxiety, which is marked by a pervasive fear of social situations such as events, parties, or even spending time with people.
Anxiety triggers
There can be a range of triggers for people who experience anxiety, which are quite similar to stressors. For instance, someone might experience anxiety due to work stress, family tensions, caffeine consumption, relationship conflict, the state of global politics, wars, financial issues, and more. The key difference here is that the worry is constant, can cause ongoing symptoms, and lasts for more than six months.
Another defining feature is that someone with GAD or another anxiety disorder may constantly worry about things, and the trigger changes, but the anxiety remains constant. Someone with anxiety will tend to overthink the issues they experience, play out scenarios in their head, and jump to unrealistic conclusions. Something as simple as a delayed parcel or other unexpected event can trigger anxiety and cause a panic attack or other uncomfortable and debilitating symptoms.
Risks associated with anxiety disorders
Anxiety disorders can also raise your risk for other health problems such as heart disease, substance abuse, diabetes, and depression. When someone has another health problem on top of a mental health issue, this is referred to as comorbidity.
How is anxiety treated?
Anxiety disorders are typically treated with a combination of psychotherapy, delivered by a qualified psychologist, counselor, or therapist, and medication prescribed by a doctor or psychiatrist. The most common psychotherapy for anxiety is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) which aims to change thought patterns that may be maladaptive or disordered and change the associated behavior that connects to the thoughts.
Another therapy is exposure therapy, which can be useful for phobias or GAD by confronting anxiety triggers in a safe, measured, and controlled way in order to disrupt the cycle of fear associated with the trigger.
When it comes to medications, benzodiazepines can be prescribed as a short-term measure to manage anxiety or panic attacks. Still, they shouldn’t be used long-term due to their addictive nature, as they can cause dependence after two or more weeks. A non-addictive option is Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, or SSRIs, which take longer to work (around four to eight weeks) but are proven to manage anxiety as well as depression.
The key difference between anxiety and stress
Although the symptoms and triggers of both stress and anxiety may be identical, the key difference is that anxiety tends to last for six months or longer and can be present without the external factors of stressors. In addition, anxiety disorders range from GAD to panic disorder and phobias. If this is the case, anxiety is much more than simply stress.
