How to Tell the Difference Between Stress and Anxiety
Have you ever felt your heart racing before a big presentation and wondered, ‘Is this just stress—or something more? For a lot of us, it is difficult to tell if we are experiencing stress or anxiety because they feel the same in the body. They both activate our fight or flight response and can cause fast heartrate, rapid breathing, trembling/shaking, etc (National Institute of Mental Health, 2020). So if they both activate the same response and feel the same, how do we tell the difference?
Stress is defined by the National Institute of Mental Health (2020) as:
A response to an external trigger such as taking a test, a first date, or an important event
It typically goes away once the threat or trigger has resolved.
Can be positive stress (Eustress) or negative stress (Distress).
Anxiety, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (2020), is
Internal reaction to stress
Can be constant even with absence of trigger
Can cause persistent distress and interfere with life
What do they both have in common?
They can both have similar physical symptoms
Excessive Worry
Uneasiness
Tension
Headaches or body pain
High Blood pressure
Difficulty sleeping
What can you do to reduce stress and anxiety?
Practice stress reduction techniques
Leverage the Vagus Nerve
Try grounding
Do things you enjoy
Speak with a professional
Citations:
National Institute of Mental Health. (2020). I'm So Stressed Out! Infographic (NIMH Identifier No. OM 20-4319). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. Retrieved March 13, 2025, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/so-stressed-out-infographic