How to Tell the Difference Between Stress and Anxiety

Stressed person in therapy in Sunbury, OH

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?

Get Help Now!



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

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