Life coaches and mental health professionals often assist individuals looking to reduce anxiety and stress. While these issues are related, knowing the differences is essential in your journey toward personal development and, ultimately, enjoying a higher quality of life. Now more than ever as we negotiate the mega disturbances of this global pandemic on our daily lives, we need to pay close attention to these differences. It is important to address them and avoid potential long-term consequences. Here are a few key differentiators to review so you can move forward and manage your symptoms. 

3 Differences Between Stress & Anxiety

1. External and Internal Symptoms

Stress is a physical and psychological reaction to external factors you experience in daily life. In small doses, stress can motivate and drive you to perform well. However, when external factors become too great such as facing the mega changes of our lifestyle caused by COVID-19, stress can lead to irritability, headaches, exhaustion, sleep disturbances, and an increased susceptibility to illnesses.

Anxiety, in contrast, can be a reaction to extreme stress. In addition, certain individuals are prone to anxiety disorders due to traumatic events in their personal history. These disorders are usually difficult to control without professional assistance and impair one’s ability to participate in normal tasks without experiencing a feeling of constant worry, panic, or fear.  People with anxiety disorders may dramatically overreact to today’s unsettling circumstances in a way that compromises their coping abilities.  There are steps that can interrupt these reactive patterns, depending on specific circumstances.

2. Lingering Issues

When looking at stress, it’s often a passing feeling as a result of a deadline, a busy workload, or a significant event such as losing a job, facing an illness, or even having a baby. Anxiety disorders can present on-going challenges when exposed to certain situations. An individual with a phobia, separation anxiety, compulsions, or fear of social situations, will continue to experience these issues and will need to find ways to reduce anxiety through coaching, counseling, meditation, and other practices. 

3. Panic Attacks

Panic attacks, or sudden episodes,often feel like a heart attack and include trembling, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, and feelings of impending doom. These typically manifest as a result of an anxiety disorder. These bouts of sudden panic and escalated fear are due to persistent, on-going anxiety as opposed to a specific stressful incident.

If you’re looking for a natural way to reduce anxiety and improve your overall quality of life, Peggy Sealfon-Stonewater Studio is an invaluable resource. Based in Naples, FL, and known across the United States as a frequent speaker at wellness conferences, this life coach and author specializes in personal development and stress techniques to ensure every client finds inner peace and the ability to reach their full potential. To discuss a customized coaching program, call today at (239) 821-2266 or register for a free session by visiting her website.