Stress or anxiety: how to differentiate

In common parlance, we often say, when something concerns us, that we are stressed or that it makes us anxious. But what is it really? Is stress and anxiety are actually synonyms or do they apply to different states?

Specifically, what is stress?

Stress is a physiological and psychological facing a most unexpected event in life. This condition is characterized by a variation of some constants physiological ( cortisol and adrenaline in particular). More lively, more reactive, we are entering a mental state characterized by a certain voltage .

These events are causing us to protect and enable us to respond appropriately to a situation that is unusual or that seems, for many reasons, dangerous or disturbing.

There are, according to each individual, different ways of responding to the stressful event. But in general, stress always involves three phases which are the alarm phase, the adaptation phase and the exhaustion phase (2). The alarm phase is what we described above and the adaptation phase is the period where we find a solution, we apply it and the feeling of stress decreases.The last phase is very close to pathological anxiety.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is considered a " normal emotion when it constitutes a response to the stress of daily life[but] may be psychopathological since it is the cause of suffering or incapacity functional "(1).What does this mean? Very schematically, anxiety is the normal result of a stress if it is not the cause of excessive mental tension or physiological changes important. Anxiety is partly appealing to what is commonly called the spirit of conservation, that is to say, the appearance of fear for his physical, mental, professional, family ... and developing responses to reduce these fears. However, it may be the source of diffuse anxiety and constant worry. Anxiety becomes a disease.

What is the difference then between stress and anxiety?

Stress and anxiety differ in their effects on people who are subjected, but also by their temporality (2). What does this mean? In fact, anxiety is usually but not always, the result of stress .

Stress is a mechanism to respond to a situation. It is not only harmful, but can be a real engine to find effective solutions to a situation. There are, broadly speaking, a good and bad stress .However, prolonged exposure to stress, little cause for concern, a state of widespread fear, or we can anticipate future stress is hypothetical and may never occur: it is anxiety.

Where the stress is a response against an unexpected event, the anxiety is an anticipatory event that the person is often seen as a negative side. Anxiety is seen from a certain threshold as a disease it is important to take into account and treated.

Tip: There are many forms of anxiety: social phobia, generalized anxiety, traumatic stress syndrome, OCD ... If you ever want to explore these issues, please seek advice from a psychologist, psychiatrist or physician.