What Is The Difference Between Stress And Anxiety?
Stress and anxiety can elicit the same feelings in people and even result in the same potential physical damage. But the relationship between stress and anxiety is a tough one to classify and requires a little more information about stress and anxiety before we can put a bond between them if one even exists. On the surface the causes of stress and anxiety can be separated and the course each will take can also be looked at separately. But you will also hear many people say that their stress makes them feel anxious or their anxiety is causing them stress. Either scenario is very possible and a look at stress and anxiety reveals that they are two separate conditions that can bring about the same physical feelings.
Stress is the feeling brought about by one's inability to process a situation properly or the helpless feeling that can come from an immediate negative situation or a prolonged negative situation. For example, if a husband winds up going to war then the wife is left to try and keep the household together which includes caring for the children alone and trying to figure out how to pay the bills when, in the case of reserves, there is less money coming in. This is an example of a prolonged stressful situation and can eventually lead to major physical problems if no help is offered. Immediate stress is when you have an important business meeting that you have a week to prepare for. The stress build on something like that can be tremendous and dangerous if not handled properly.
The Anxiety Part Of Stress And Anxiety
Anxiety is a constant feeling like something is wrong or you are simply unable to handle everyday situations without a feeling of tenseness and hesitation. Over time constant anxiety can lead to physical conditions that can become serious. The initial physical feeling of anxiety is the same in many ways as stress. Your stomach feels like it is in knots and your chest gets tight. But with anxiety it is more difficult to find the source of the anxiety and therefore properly relieve it. For some people anxiety can be situational or it can be constant. Someone may only feel anxiety when they are flying or another person may feel a general anxiety about life. If anxiety is not relieved it too can cause physical damage and harm.
It can be said that anxiety can cause stress. Anxiety about flying can make getting on a plane a stressful experience. But in order to really help in the cure of stress and anxiety they must be treated as two separate conditions so that the sources and causes of stress and anxiety can be found and treated.
