And what about feeling overwhelmed? Where does one stop and the other begin?
May be synonymous.
Often people say "I’m stressed, " when they mean “I’m anxious.” But, not all stress leads to anxiety. If stress is defined as having a lot on one’s plate and striving toward short and long-term goals, this does not necessarily lead to unpleasant anxiety.
“Stress” is when more is demanded of you than you can comfortably deliver. It stresses the heart to run upstairs; it stresses your mind to deal with loss. “Anxiety” is worry or nervousness, often due to mixed or confused feelings, e.g., whether to approach or avoid someone.
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so it’s not my imagination that my high anxiety is stressing me out and overwhelming me?
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I think stress feeds the anxiety. Stress really can contribute to a lot of symptoms. I always get paranoid around people when I’m really stressed. So i’d say that they are separate issues. Stress is the precursor to you getting anxious!
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Stress is a physical reaction to a very negative or positive phenomenon. You see a rattlesnake. You get stressed. You plan your wedding. That’s stressful. Heart rate increases. Thoughts get jumbled. Your body goes fight, flight, or freeze. That’s stress. The sources of the stress are different and can be positive or negative, but the body reaction is the same.
Anxiety is a product of the mind. It is a form of insanity, because it is the mind creating problems where none exist. You might get anxious about getting bitten by a rattlesnake even though there is no rattlesnake nearby. Your body gets stressed over nothing. That is why anxiety is useless. You stress yourself out because of your imagination.
Stress cannot be avoided, and it can be good or bad. Anxiety is always bad. Stress can protect you from being bit by a rattlesnake, but anxiety gets you worked up about the rattlesnakes that only exist in your head.
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Big difference. Stress is when you get severe muscle tightness in your neck, shoulders and back and headaches. And if you are MI, your MI symptoms flare.
Anxiety is when you sweat, get a tightness in your chest like a band around your chest and you have difficulty breathing. You also have sweaty palms and forehead and face. If you are like me, you start pressing your lips uncontrollably. You can also get a feeling of doom like doomsday. You can also worry about every little thing making mountains out of molehills. You can have a racing heart or feel like your heart is pounding in your chest. You can feel like you are having a heart attack or feel like you are going to die. These are just a few symptoms.
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Stress is fuel for anxiety. Cause when something stressful happens you worry about it which causes anxiety.
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Stress can help you operate more efficiently. Anxiety can paralyse.
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For me stress is like feeling pushed and under heavy load, anxiety is more like emotional and physical pain.
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