Key takeaways:
- Stress and anxiety cause some similar feelings of discomfort, but there are fundamental differences between the two.
- Stress has an external cause and goes away after the stressor goes away, while anxiety may or may not have a specific trigger.
- Anxiety interferes with everyday life and requires treatment, while a healthy degree of stress helps us learn, grow, and become resilient.
We often use the words “stress” and “anxiety” interchangeably, but these two terms are not the same. Let’s explore the differences and similarities between them.
Differences
Stress is generally a response to an external cause, like an important exam, a conflict with a friend, or a job interview.1 It’s an unavoidable part of life, and though it can be uncomfortable, it is usually not harmful. Stress can help us get motivated, adapt to new situations, learn new skills, and grow as people. This is positive stress. It’s important to note that chronic or toxic stress related to things like poverty, discrimination, abuse, or neglect are never good for us. In this post, we’re referring only to positive stress.
The graph below shows how a moderate amount of stress can actually improve our performance on difficult tasks.
Importantly, stress typically goes away once the situation is resolved.
Anxiety, like stress, can be triggered by an external cause, but it can also have no trigger. It is unhelpful, persists even when stressful situations resolve, and interferes with a person’s ability to go about their daily activities. It can lead to withdrawal from others, avoidance of stressful situations, trouble with sleeping and concentration, and unhealthy coping mechanisms such as substance use. People sometimes mask their anxiety because of social stigma or embarrassment, but that does not mean the intensity of their anxiety is any lower than that of people whose anxiety is more visible.
Similarities
What do stress and anxiety have in common? They can both lead to excessive worry, uneasiness, tension, and physical discomfort. The Venn diagram below gives more detail about the similarities and recaps the differences.
No-stress pop quiz
Choose whether each of the statements below reflect stress and/or anxiety. The answers are at the end of the post.
- “I’m so [stressed / anxious] about giving that important presentation at work on Friday. I have butterflies in my stomach and can barely sleep. But I know I’ll feel so much better once it’s over and I can enjoy my friend’s party this weekend.”
- “Every time my friend throws a party, I get so [stressed / anxious] about it because I have to talk to people I don’t know. Then when I get home, I can’t sleep because I keep thinking about how I must have said the wrong things and embarrassed myself and my friend. I feel like the worry will never stop.”
The bottom line
Stress and anxiety have some overlap, but stress is a normal part of life and can be positive, while anxiety is a mental illness that causes impairment in everyday life.
Do you think you or a loved one may be struggling with anxiety? Getting help is nothing to be ashamed of and can improve our quality of life. Make sure to check out MHC’s Resources page to find information on hotlines and treatment options. Your primary care provider (PCP) can also be a great resource.2
Pop quiz answers:
- Anxious
2. Stressed
- American Psychological Association. (2019, October 28). What is the difference between stress and anxiety? https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/anxiety-difference. . ↩︎
- Mental Health America. (n.d.). Choosing a mental health provider: A step-by-step guide. https://mhanational.org/resources/choosing-a-provider/ ↩︎