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Anxiety transforming into stress?

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Anxiety transforming into stress?

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 466

Dark: Ambiguous is a great word for it. Hard to define because it steps onto grounds that typically belong to anxiety, amongst other emotions...there's the light bulb I needed to figure it out!! More on that in a second..

Stress is definitely intertwined with work for me. So many deadlines, things that must be completed within a given time slot, etc...but I take pride in what I do so the end result makes the journey worthwhile. Although do this too much, and the end result is overlooked because I'm too fatigued from the journey. It's like trying to balance on your tippy nose!

Ah, see I wasn't even thinking of food cravings/lack of appetite...me and my one tracked mind! Those most definitely are symptoms of stress.

April: I feel the same way when I work on the edge of panic, getting fatigued and all. Although, the more I do it, the less fatigued I get. Kinda like working out, the longer I do it, the more I can do later. Is this the same for you?

Ok, so the conclusion I'm coming to is that stress is typically the precursor to the next emotion. If one is to adapt, or accept change, then stress is no worse then changing clothes. It's kinda like going to the dentist for the first time in years...they'll probably have to fix your teeth, which may hurt during....but afterwards you can smile like a rockstar! Stress therefore, is the point in between emotions, where you have to figure out what comes next.

This makes sense in why stress doesn't hurt me like anxiety. Anxiety knocks me down almost every time. Stress, is more of a way to balance how much one is doing. The symptoms that come into play with stress, are a result of too much/too little being done. It's a way of predicting what will come next...however figuring out what comes next is all a game of risk! Sometimes you get it right, sometimes not. Accepting this is key to dealing with it...now there's something I can work with!! Sorry everyone, just typing what I'm thinking...what do you all think?

Cheers for helping bring me to that conclusion Dark, April and Brenna!!!

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 34

I definitely find a difference between anxiety and stress. If I am stressed, I am usually focused on something and the stress gives me the adrenaline to get it done. I do not find stress overwhelming and I have always worked better under pressure. I am anxious or panicky when I am not focused on anything and really it's more often when I am alone with my thoughts. Yesterday I had a super busy day and was great all day. Today I am not so busy and feel like I am teetering on the edge of Panic (which I am trying to ignore), so I went for a walk, got a little panicky half way through but walked through it. Now I feel super tired, I find working through it tires me out.

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1153

Anxiety and stress can go hand in hand but they can also be two different things.

Anxiety is characterized by cognitive, somatic, emotional and behavioural components which can lead to feelings of uneasiness, apprehension or worry. Anxiety can be a normal reaction to stress, it may help people to deal with stress. The symtoms of anxiety are:
- heart palpitations
- chest pain
- shortness of breath
- increased heart rate
- stomach problems
- nausea
- sweating
- trembling
- increased blod pressure

Stress is defined as the bodies inability to adapt to change, either emotional or physical. Common symptoms of stress are:
- irritablitly
- muscle tension
- inability to concentrate
- headaches
- increatsed heart rate

In prolonged or severe cases of stress, it can lead to anxiety, depression and decreased overall health.

Members,

Please express your opinions on stress and anxiety. How can we deal with them? Is one a cause of the other?

Brenna, Bilingual Health Educator

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 150

Hi Jhori,

I see your point, and a very valid one that it is. I think you are absolutely right. Stress is what leads to panic/anxiety and probably not the same thing.

For me, I relate stress to anxiety and panic because I was never very good with dealing with stress. It would always flood my body and cause the affects of anxiety.

But I think I was talking about the extremes of stress. The word is quite ambigious.

We are put through 'stress' or 'lifestyle based pressure' most days. But we don't think about it as 'stress'.

It seems the term stress is really only used when there is an above normal level of pressure/tasks on you.

I definitely think there is an interlink in stress and anxiety. If you are pushing yourself to do many tasks then there will be consequences to your body and mind.

I tend to think of 'stress' as being connected to work. Wrongly or rightly as that may be.

I know that people can be stressed out of work, but it seems to be used mostly to describe work-based pressure.

And yes, you are absolutely right that over/undereating is a coping mechanism not a symptom. I should have said food cravings or lack of appetite instead. My apologies, it was very late after a very long day :)

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 466

Very true, but aren't those more the "aftereffects" of stress...or when you've been stressed for an extended period of time? And over/under eating is a stress coping mechanism, isn't it?

I don't know, stress to me doesn't have the same effects as anxiety. Over time, yes it can and typically does lead to the same symptoms...but stress in general feels more like a positive force to me. Not like I need to do better, or that I'm not doing enough, it's just like riding a bike downhill...like it helps me focus. Anxiety on the other hand, feels like a negative force, like I'm pushing myself to the ground because I feel as though I don't deserve the top, or even the middle.

Stress is defined as to put stress, pressure, or strain on (aha - they use stress to define stress...) Anxiety on the other hand is a state of being uneasy, apprehensive, or worried about what may happen; concern about a possible future event.

And I'm not trying to debunk you or fight my point, more so debate to find personal clarity.

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 150

I personally don't think there is much difference.

The term 'stress' is used a lot these days to describe when someone is under pressure and feeling its affects.

And what are the affects of being under pressure? Panic, fear, self-doubt, anxiety, etc.

Look at the symptoms of 'stress'.

Muscle tension, concentration problems, sadness, irritability, fatigue, possibly bowel problems/sudden movements, over/under eating for comfort, etc.

They are all also symptoms of anxiety/panic.

15 years ago 0 +0 / -0 466

The lines between stress and anxiety are fairly skewed, and I just pondered something today. I've been really busy today, all day, to the point where I barely have room to breath or time to write this. Now instead of anxiety hitting like it normally does, this feels like stress. It's much less aggravating to my sense of self, in that I mean whereas anxiety makes me shutdown and lose my ability to think copacetically, stress just kinda feels like I'm taking on a lot.

So I guess my question is, what really is the difference between stress and anxiety?

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Anxiety transforming into stress?