Stress takes a toll on everyone and sometimes it's in different ways. You might like to stress-eat, while your friends hit the gym extra hard or pull all-nighters as if they never need to sleep. Sometimes these habits are easy to point out to yourself, and other times they might be subconscious. The goal is to get through that period of stress so you can breathe again, but what if you're mixing up stress with anxiety?
Plenty of people make this mistake because the symptoms are so similar. It may seem scary to think about having anxiety, but it's easily treatable, and you'll benefit overall by facing your worries now. Whether you help yourself by forming a better lifestyle or talk with a doctor about medication, you'll be glad you thought things through instead of going through the motions of another stressful day.
Here are six tips to help you find out how you can tell if your stress is something more serious. Being stressed is sadly a part of life. You'll get overwhelmed with things and feel stressed out because it's normal. What's not healthy is to live with that stress continually and never find relief or answers. You could feel like yourself again by exercising a few times each week, or you could find that it doesn't help at all. Both outcomes are still steps in the right direction since it will either solve your problems or lead you to ask questions you wouldn't have thought to before.
1. Are Your Stressors External?
The easiest way to tell if you're stressed or anxious is to consider what's making you feel that way. Are the stressors external or internal?
External examples might be the pressure of a deadline or expectations from your family, which would lead to stress. Internal examples would be feeling like you're going to fail or worrying about future possibilities. Anxiety is a feeling that comes from within — stress comes from external forces.
2. Do You Stress Constantly?
Think about how it feels to stress over a project. Now imagine turning that project in and being done with it. The stress you feel eases off because you're done. There's nothing to work on or worry about anymore.
If you're also worried about what your grade will be, how it will affect your GPA and other future thoughts, that's anxiety. Anxiety hangs around like mental fog, but stress will go away once you deal with whatever it is that's stressing you out.3. Are You Filled With Fear or Worry?
It's normal to be worried or fearful while you stress. Stress is a powerful motivator that can make you feel like worrying is the best thing to do.
The key is to identify when that worry stops and starts. Concerns that stop and start but never seem to go away are likely anxiety-driven. Determining what you're feeling and what's causing it will help you figure out how to best treat what you're dealing with and prepare yourself for next time.
4. Does It Run in the Family?
Some families are very open about physical diseases and mental health conditions that run in the family, while others aren't. Just because you don't know of any family members seeking help for anxiety or depression doesn't mean they aren't. One in five American adults has a mental health condition, making them reasonably common to diagnose and treat. If you think you might have one, you're not without hope.
Talk with your family to see if there's a history of mental health conditions. Be prepared for it to be an emotional subject, as people often don't deal with their conditions in a healthy way.
This can lead to a lot of emotional pain and history your loved ones may want to forget. However, asking could lead to answers, which may get you the help you need. It will be worth the discussions that happen to surround the topic of mental health conditions.
5. Do You Have Physical Symptoms?
It's important to note that everyone will have a slightly different way that stress manifests itself compared to other mental health disorders. Stress can cause you to have trouble sleeping and even change your eating habits.
Depression may show up in similar effects — or others like failing to remember things or being easily angered. Try to consider what started your symptoms when you feel them happening, then weigh that against stress, depression and anxiety.
6. Can Stress Tricks Help?
Living with stress might feel like your new normal, but it shouldn't be. You can try several tricks to minimize your stress, like taking care of your body. For example, exercising and eating better are two ways to relieve your stress.
If you've tried multiple version of stress relief and felt no difference, you're probably dealing with anxiety. Depending on how high your anxiety levels are, you might need to talk to a doctor or even take medication to find relief.Being stressed is sadly a part of life. You'll get overwhelmed with things and feel stressed out because it's normal. What's not healthy is to live with that stress continually and never find relief or answers. You could feel like yourself again by exercising a few times each week, or you could find that it doesn't help at all.
Both outcomes are still steps in the right direction since it will either solve your problems or lead you to ask questions you wouldn't have thought to before.
Ultimately, make sure you express your concerns to your doctor. They'll be able to give you professional advice for your specific needs. Tell them what you've found that triggers your stress and why you're looking for help.
The more you talk about it, the more comfortable you'll be with facing whatever issue you're dealing with — whether it's stress, anxiety or depression.
