When a person lives with chronic anxiety, this affects their mental and physical health, their inner world, and their relationships with friends, family, and colleagues. Your quality of life is lower when anxiety constantly brings your mood down, does not let you fall asleep, and prevents you from enjoying activities and events you once loved. Some people also confuse this mood disorder with occasional stress and wrongly believe they can neglect it and simply hope they get better within a few days or weeks.
Let us explore the differences between anxiety and being anxious – discover how these feelings vary and what it means for mental health in this comprehensive guide.
Anxiety Disorder Vs. Feeling Anxious: How to Tell the Difference?
Many people confuse generalized anxiety disorder with occasional anxiousness. At some point in your life, you will be anxious – whether you are worried about an important exam, a speech in front of a large crowd, or a difficult financial situation you are in right now, the feeling is gone as soon as the factors that caused you to experience this stress are no longer there to bother you.
An anxiety disorder, on the other hand, cannot be eliminated quickly – it is not a natural response to particular triggers. Anxiety causes vary from person to person but in some cases, it is impossible to pinpoint what made the person so anxious in the first place.
Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders
Excessive Worrying
This is the most common feeling people with anxiety diagnosis have – you are stressed out every day for no particular reason. It is normal to feel scared or shy in certain social situations, but when the fear does not leave you alone on a daily basis, this may be the cause for concern.
Feeling Agitated
Agitation makes the person clench their fists, respond with violence, and feel tension in their entire body as if they are face-to-face with danger. Your brain may be under the impression you are in trouble even if there are no reasons to believe that.
Restlessness
When you feel the urge to move around, share your hands or feet, or play around with small objects to calm yourself down and be able to function normally, this is one of the signs of anxiety. It is rather rare but make sure you tell your therapist you cannot stay put in one place when they are evaluating your condition.
Fatigue
Constant tiredness for no apparent reason even after you slept and rested enough may indicate the presence of mental health issues. If your muscles are weak during the day and your responses are slow enough to impair your judgment and decision-making, pay attention to your wellness.
Difficulty Concentrating
When your brain cannot focus on a simple task, or someone has to ask you a question again as if you were not listening, this means you are struggling with concentration – if it is not related to your age, it may be one of the signs of anxiety disorder.
Irritability
If it is easy for you to get annoyed and feel impatient even if the reason is not worthy of a reaction or there is no reason at all to feel agitated, this is your anxiety showing itself – you can be bothered by your own actions and words or feel irritated when someone else says or does something.
Tense Muscles
Anxiety manifests differently, and many anxiety symptoms are of a physical nature, including muscle tension. Tension may appear in any part of your body and even transform into stiffness after an anxiety attack or pain if left untreated so make sure to attribute this sign to an anxiety disorder.
Trouble Falling or Staying Asleep
Sleep disturbances whether you cannot sleep at night, sleep for longer than a few hours, or go back to sleep in the early morning after suddenly waking up will negatively impact your whole life – besides, sleep problems will cause anxiety just like anxiety will cause sleep problems.
Panic Attacks
Sometimes anxiety gets so overwhelming, a person may experience intense fear for a short period of time – their heart is racing, they cannot breathe, and they may even faint from the tension in their brain and body. When the reaction is physical, you should take action to avoid further development of the panic disorder.
Avoiding Social Situations
Spending time alone occasionally is normal – it is natural and even beneficial for your wellness. Yet when you say no to every attempt of your family and friends to spend time with you, no longer attend social gatherings you used to enjoy, and minimize contact with random people, the avoidance of interactions may lead to social anxiety.
Irrational Fears
Various phobias – fears that make you scared of particular objects and situations – may be the result of anxiety or coexist while anxiety disorder manifests. When your worry interferes with your normal life and you cannot leave the house or take a shower without feeling how strong your heartbeat is, you may need to go to a doctor to deal with the problem.
Natural Ways to Reduce Anxiety
Apart from anxiety treatment, there are methods you can utilize on your own to increase your anxiety and stress:
| Advice | Description |
| Pay Attention to Your Nutrition | Eat more fruits and vegetables, consume less sugar, and introduce more grains and protein to your diet |
| Avoid Caffeine and Alcohol | Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages may harm your physical and mental health |
| Quit Smoking | People who smoke are more prone to general stress and anxiety – besides, the improvement of physical health is good for your psyche |
| Exercise Regularly | When you do sports or at least devote a few minutes of your day to a quick workout, it helps to lessen the symptoms of anxiety |
| Practice Self-Care | Relaxation practices like yoga, meditation, and aromatherapy may reduce anxiety in individuals who need to remain calm |
When to Seek Professional Help
Managing an anxiety disorder alone is hard – do not hesitate to ask for help if you understand the practices and methods you have been using have had little or no effect on how you are feeling and interacting with others. Moreover, a doctor can help you understand the difference between “anxiety” vs. “anxious” if you have questions about these terms. Here is when you should schedule an appointment with a counselor:
- You cannot regulate your emotions – the feelings are so intense you struggle to focus on daily obligations and cannot sleep at night.
- Your productivity suffers from poor concentration, fatigue, and lack of energy especially if your job is dangerous for yourself and others.
- Your physical health is on the decline, and physicians did not find any explanations for the physical symptoms you exhibit.
- Your relationships with others are strained because of persistent anxiety.
- Your anxiety was caused by a major event that changed your life – if you are grieving or trying to handle the consequences of trauma, talk to a therapist about it.
- Your anxiety is caused or exacerbated by substance use and abuse – dual diagnosis requires professional mental health support.
Takeaway
Anxiety management and treatment are well-studied and proven in practice – there are multiple ways to reduce the negative impact of anxiety on your life with enough commitment and effort. If you notice that anxiety has become an integral part of your life against your will or someone you are close with has been struggling with symptoms that resemble the manifestations of an anxiety disorder, make sure you speak with a mental health professional as soon as you can.
FAQs
- Anxiety vs. stress: How to differentiate between these notions?
While these two feelings are similar, stress is usually caused by external circumstances. Anxiety, on the contrary, may occur without any obvious triggers and reasons – for example, you can be stressed about your academic future and anxious about interacting with a random person.
- How to recognize anxiety disorder?
When you cannot concentrate on simple tasks, your sleep routine is ruined, and your day is defined by the sense of impending doom and danger, it means you are showing signs of anxiety disorder.
- What is the difference between the terms “anxiety” vs. “anxious”?
Every person is anxious from time to time – they do not even process this feeling because of how temporary and fleeting it is. Anxiety is a serious disorder that may transform into depression due to its permanence and intensity.
- What can I do on my own to reduce anxiety?
Coming up with a proper self-care routine is a great idea – learn how to calm yourself down if you feel an anxiety attack is right around the corner. Focusing on healthy nutrition and exercising to enhance your physical health will also reduce the symptoms of anxiety.
- Do I need therapy to cope with anxiety?
In some instances, an individual does not have the skills to tackle the most severe symptoms of anxiety – when this condition is triggered by a distressing event or trauma they have not managed to process correctly, only talking therapy and medication prescribed by a therapist or psychiatrist may be the effective solution.
