Hi all
When talking with a friend recently we talked a little about anxiety. She said, it was just stress that she was experiencing. This made me think if we underestimate what is happening in our bodies. I realised I'd done that for years. Blamed it on stress when it actually was anxiety. So how can you tell the difference? Would like to hear what other people to think.
Stress generally refers to: psychological perception of pressure, and the body's response to it. It involves multiple systems, from metabolism to muscles to memory. Some stress is necessary: it's a way to encounter and to respond to challenges and uncertainties. Thoughts of danger set off an automatic response system, known as the fight-or-flight response, activating hormonal signals, which prepares one to meet a threat or flee from it.
A stressful event— e.g. the sudden appearance of a snake on a path or fear of losing one's job — triggers a cascade of hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. These surge through the body, speeding heartbeat and circulation of blood to support quick action, mobilizing fat and sugar for fast energy, focusing attention to track the danger, preparing muscles for movement, and more.
A stress response is meant to solve short-term, life-threatening problems, not extended difficulties e.g. daily traffic jams or marital problems. It generally takes time for the body to calm down after being triggered. Prolonged or repeated stress response, a characteristic of modern life, can have physical and psychological consequences, including heart disease and depression.
Anxiety, or extreme apprehension and worry, is a normal reaction to stressful situations. In some cases, worry becomes excessive or chronic and can cause sufferers to dread everyday situations. Generally, anxiety arises first, often during childhood. Evidence suggests that both biology and environment can contribute to the disorder. Some may have a genetic predisposition to anxiety; however, development of the condition is not inevitable. Early traumatic experiences can also reset the body’s normal fear-processing system so that it is hyper-reactive.
Anxiety is typified by exaggerated worries and expectations of negative outcomes in unknown situations. Physical symptoms may accompany these worries e.g. muscle tension, headaches, stomach cramps, and frequent urination.
Info was taken from www.psychologytoday.com/au/basics/stress and www.psychologytoday.com/au/basics/anxiety
Kind regards
PamelaR
