The Differences Between Stress And Anxiety
Stress and anxiety are often seen as very similar responses that merge into one, as they have certain similarities in terms of psycho-phisiological activation.
However, these are different answers and their health implications are quite distinct.
Different anxiety disorders and stress problems generally have negative repercussions on health.
Intensity and duration are factors that mark the difference between these two responses, which initially appear as a defense mechanism.
The stress response
The stress response helps us have more weapons to deal with situations that are unusual for us and which present themselves as something exceptional. It mobilizes us as a wake-up call so that we pay attention to what is important.
On the other hand, what harms us is its duration, that is to say when the stress is maintained over time. This happens when we perceive the environment as a threat and negatively assess our abilities or the resources available to us to deal with a situation.
Our stress response appears in the face of our perception of a situation, the objective demands and the resources that we think we have to respond to these demands.
If we have a poor perception of our abilities and we do not really trust our resources, the onset of stress is very likely in different situations.
The anxiety response
This activation of our body in the face of a threatening situation can initially generate a reaction of fear or anxiety.
However, when this activation is maintained over time without being able to return to levels prior to the onset of the situation, then we speak of stress.
For example, a student facing an important exam experiences an increase in this activation, due to anxiety, so that they can put all of their energy into what they consider important.
If once the examination is finished the activation is still present, moving from one situation to another, it turns into inappropriate stress, which brings with it negative consequences for health, with repercussions on all the others. aspects of his life.
Anxiety manifests itself as a warning signal, with great intensity, unlike the alarm response which characterizes stress.
Anxiety is considered to be an emotional response with varying degrees of activation. It arises in humans as a defense mechanism, to prepare us for an important event, whether dangerous or desirable. This is an essential response for our survival as a species.
Difference between anxiety and fear
The difference between this emotional response and that of fear is basically that anxiety arises with the anticipation of something that may happen soon, preparing us for a change or a future threat.
On the other hand, fear is felt in the face of something happening in situ or a current danger, during which the sympathetic autonomic nervous system is activated.
Anxiety disorders occur through the activation of certain stimulants which do not pose a real danger, as is the case with most phobias, in which there is disproportionate and inappropriate activation because there is there is no real possibility of physical injury.
The importance of relaxation for stress and anxiety
Learning some relaxation and breathing techniques can help us reduce the excessive activation that leads to the onset of stress and anxiety.
The current pace of the society we live in favors responses of this type, which eventually become chronic.
It is therefore fundamental to employ strategies to calm our mind and our physiological activation.
There are techniques such as autogenic training, progressive relaxation, abdominal breathing, biofeedback, etc., which can be used as personal resources that compensate for the negative effects of stress and anxiety.
In addition, they can serve as a preventative method to reduce activation levels in situations that are no longer threatening.
