Most of us know when we are worried about something. It might be that we can’t stop thinking about it or it’s keeping us awake. So what is the difference between something stressing us out and anxiety? Does stress just become anxiety if we have it long enough?
While chronic stress can definitely create anxiety symptoms, anxiety is more about the way our body and mind react to a situation. Anxiety can make it feel as if everything is a major stressor for one person and someone else might not be overwhelmed.
Anxiety is a megaphone of negativity
A key sign that anxiety might be at play is when your thoughts are building the worst-case scenario, even something that hasn’t happened yet. You might get regular feedback that you give amazing presentations at work, but anxiety can be a thought loop about how others perceive you as incompetent, that you have nothing to offer, or are going to let everyone down.
Anxiety overprepares
In order to avoid all the worst-case scenarios, anxiety can have us overprepare. Stress and mild anxiety a great motivators to ensure that we do consider preparing for things that are important; anxiety makes it time-consuming, and all-encompassing and pushes us to overprepare for even simple things.
Anxiety wears you out
Thought loops and the inability to set aside worry are exhausting. It can feel like pressure, heaviness, and tightness in our bodies. It can feel like being over-tired and not being able to sleep. It can be unexplained exhaustion and crashing after a full day.
Anxiety blocks us in
Feeling that “normal” things are overwhelming, like attending a holiday party or even going to the grocery store are also signs of anxiety. For some individuals it’s not even clear what they are avoiding, but they start to notice they resist doing things that seem easy for other people. Or if they choose to do these things, they may feel overwhelmed and like they want to escape.
Anxiety makes it hard to concentrate
Concerned you might have ADHD? Consider anxiety first. The spinning and looping work of anxiety makes it difficult to focus. Whether physical sense of anxiety is disrupting or if thoughts just seem to always drift to worries, anxiety may be a valid reason that tasks are taking longer.
While occasional anxiety is to be expected as a natural response to stress, if you are having persistent symptoms that interfere with your daily life it may be time to seek support from a mental health professional. There are several therapeutic approaches that can help you manage anxiety, in some cases, medication may also be helpful. The first step is recognizing when you are overwhelmed and finding a trusted professional to share that with. Support can help you get back to feeling calmer, stronger, and more capable.
