Worrying is a human behavior that often happens when people experience fear or dread. Physiological responses like tightness in the stomach or heart palpitations often accompany it. Anxiety has similar responses, which is why distinguishing between the two is challenging.
Understanding the difference between normal worrying and anxiety can help you decide if you need anxiety counseling or if your response to a stressful situation is normal and not concerning.
What is Worry?
Worry comes from the human ability to think about future events. While simulating future events, humans begin to worry about the possible outcomes, especially if they could be stressful.
Fortunately, worrying is a temporary experience that generally stays in our thoughts. We ponder the outcome of a specific event, and when it’s over, our worrying stops. For example, if you have to give a presentation at work, you’ll worry about future performance. When the event is over, you’ll no longer worry.
Usually, when the mind worries, the experience gets based on an actual event that will happen. Knowing that you have to speak in front of 100 people could cause you to worry about making mistakes like stumbling over words. You might practice a few times to avoid making mistakes as the brain tries to resolve the situation through problem-solving techniques.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a mental health condition that lasts longer than worrying does. Where worrying manifests about a real-life event, anxiety manifests in the body and tends to stick around after stressful events end.
Humans should experience occasional anxiety, especially when facing stressful situations. It helps us focus and remain safe when we face potential danger.
The difference between healthy moments of anxiety and long-term anxiety is how the feelings interfere with your ability to function daily. Anxiety disorders often cause people to overreact as they cannot control their emotional responses. Fortunately, anxiety counseling can help people manage their physical, mental, and emotional responses throughout the day.
Generalized anxiety disorders cause people to feel worried and stressed, even when nothing exists to enable the feelings. The sense of dread and worry is long-lasting, and sufferers do not get a break from their physical, emotional, and mental feelings of apprehension. Long-lasting anxiety interrupts sleep and can cause people to struggle with concentration throughout the day.
Worry vs. Anxiety
Feelings of anxiety and worry can be daily events, but the difference between the two is striking, mostly because people can control their levels of worry. Public speaking is a common cause of nervousness and anxiety, but the difference is the way people manage the problem with normal worrying or with anxiety.
Before giving a speech, the levels of worry and anxiety can cause some physical sensations, but people with anxiety will have stronger feelings. So much so that they might not give the speech, while the person who worries will complete the task. A person with anxiety might have chest tightness, headaches, or trembling that prevents them from doing their job.
Leading up to the speech, the person with anxiety will consider the worst-case scenario, which could make them give up rather than do the work. A person who is worrying will complete the task because they know what they must do without blowing the situation out of proportion. People with anxiety will consider the speech a potential catastrophe, then will not do it.
Worrying will cease, but anxiety will continue. They affect your quality of life, but worry tends to improve your life, while anxiety gets in the way of satisfying responsibilities and relationships.
Coping Mechanisms
During stressful moments, worry itself becomes a coping mechanism. It helps people focus on the problem and take control of the situation. The opposite is true of anxiety, and this issue often requires anxiety counseling from a qualified mental health professional.
Having some coping mechanisms helps people manage anxiety between counseling sessions. These coping mechanisms can take your thoughts off them and help you focus elsewhere.
Deep, Mindful Breathing
When you notice anxiety rising, you can take your mind off the thoughts with deep, thoughtful breathing. Set a timer for five minutes, then breathe in while counting to four, then exhale to the same count. As you pause to breathe, your heart rate will slow, and your mind will calm.
Change Your Thought Pattern
Anxiety comes from negative thoughts. You can slow down your feelings of anxiety by stopping your thoughts of dread. Remember that worry comes from actual events on the horizon, while anxiety is often a general feeling of doom. When you change your thought patterns, you can take control of your emotions.
Get Moving To Slow Your Anxiety
You can slow anxiety and get control of yourself by moving. While going for a walk or doing some gentle stretching won’t stop your anxiety for good, it will take your mind off it.
Consider slowing your breath with the four-count inhales and exhales for added help. If you take a walk, try to inhale and exhale when you step with your left foot as another way to calm your mind and steady your breath.
Trust Your Nose
Calming smells like chamomile and lavender can help calm the mind. Fragrances activate receptors in the brain, which naturally relax the mind. Think of how quickly certain smells trigger memories, and you’ll understand why some fragrances can ease feelings of anxiety.
Journal Your Thoughts
When your mind races with anxiety, you can help yourself by writing down your thoughts and emotions. Putting your worries on paper gets them out of your head so you can take care of daily tasks.
Get Professional Help
Short-term coping mechanisms can help ease moments of anxiety, but they won’t get to the root of the problem. The best way to take care of generalized anxiety and other related disorders is to work with a licensed therapist who will use talk therapy, meditation, and other helpful techniques backed by science. Contact the professionals at API for help with anxiety today.
