Is it Stress or is it Anxiety?

We use these two terms interchangeably but they’re not the same at all. Stress describes situations that cause us to feel pressure to DO something – fix that problem, pay that bill, carry that emotional burden your best friend just told you about, for example.

We all experience daily stress and we are compelled to DO something about it – alarm goes off, get out of bed – deadline approaching for that project, work on that project – bus gets really close to the curb, jump further away from the curb.

But too much stress too often (difficult and demanding job e.g.), or even just one really big stressful event (car accident, or an assault e.g.) can lead to anxiety.

Anxiety describes feeling worry and/or fear that something bad will happen, and not really knowing how to prevent the bad things from happening (helplessness).

Bothersome thought pops in your head – racing pulse, sweaty palms, heart palpitations, feeling like you need to get away or cover your head in the blanket and hibernate for the day…..THAT’s anxiety.

There are solutions for coping with both stress and anxiety, and therapy is a really great way to learn and develop those skills. If someone you know is struggling with anxiety, I would be happy to offer a free 15 minute consultation. Click on the contact page to book an appointment.