It’s safe
to assume that most of us have experienced stress in one form or another,
whether it’s a deadline at work, a family conflict or an important decision. The
constricting, chest-pressing fear can feel never ending and can put us into a
state of unrest.
With stressful elements churning in our minds, it can be
difficult to sort out how we’re feeling, and more importantly, whatlevel of
stress we’re experiencing. It’s human nature to exaggerate, so there are many times
when we claim we feel something more than we actually do. Enter (often false)
statements like “This situation is giving me anxiety.” and “This whole thing is going to make me have a panic attack.”
So how can we tell when our stress is actually yielding to these conditions? David
Spiegel, Stanford University’s associate chair of psychiatry and behavioral
sciences, says that while the line between stress and anxiety often gets
blurred, there are distinct things to be aware of -- including how these
emotions affect the body and the root causes of each. Below, find five things you
should know about stress, anxiety and how they really compare
to each other.
Whether you’re tense or suffering from something more, the
stressful and anxious emotions can sometimes bring the same feelings of
arousal, Spiegel says. Stressful or anxious emotions speed up our heart beats, trigger rapid breathing and cause muscle tension. The similarities taper when
anxiety yields to a panic attack, which brings about more severe versions of
the symptoms, including chills, headaches, hot flashes and chest pains.
While there is definite overlap between stress and anxiety,
Spiegel says that ultimately the two emotions come from two different places.
“With stress, we know what’s worrying us but with anxiety you become less aware
of what you’re anxious about [in the moment]
and the reaction becomes the problem,” Spiegel explains. “You start to feel
anxious about being anxious.”
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