Stress vs. Anxiety... What's the difference?
Recently I was discussing the topic of stress with a friend and she asked, “What’s the difference between stress and anxiety?”
I love that she asked me this, because it’s important to understand if you’re trying to improve your health, and probably not something people regularly think about. While there are many similarities in how the body responds to stress vs. anxiety, they’re actually quite different.
Let’s review the similarities and differences between stress & anxiety, as well as how to effectively respond so that you can feel energized, peaceful and fueled in your mind & body.
But first, we must understand…
The Stress Hormone
Hormones are your brain’s way of telling the rest of your body what to do.
For example, the brain releases progesterone when it’s time for the ovaries to release an egg, and thyroid hormones when it’s time for the GI tract to metabolize your food.
Cortisol is the stress hormone, and it’s released when the brain thinks you’re in danger. For example, if a biker almost runs into you, you feel a huge wave of adrenaline that prompts you to jump out of the way. That’s cortisol at work!
When cortisol is released, the brain puts all other functions on the back burner and redirects energy to vital organs needed for survival. Besides, digesting food isn’t as important if your life is in danger, right?
The trouble is, cortisol comes from a part of the brain that can’t tell the difference between life threatening danger and non-life threatening danger. So, whether it’s a biker almost hitting you or it’s pressure at work, the brain’s response is the same - release cortisol.
As you can probably imagine, many people are chronically stressed about work, family, finances or something else….which means they are constantly in a state of fight or flight. This means that all of the body’s regular functioning - digestion, sleep, energy, mood - are compromised.
This is why the topic of cortisol is so crucial. If you have high cortisol for a long period of time, it will wreak havoc on the body and can cause issues such as unwanted weight gain, gut issues, inflammation, chronic fatigue, poor sleep, emotional eating, skin issues, and more.
So whether it’s stress or anxiety that you’re feeling, the response is excess cortisol, and it could be the reason you feel fatigued, bloated or inflamed.
Stress vs. Anxiety
Both stress and anxiety cause a cortisol response. The key difference between the two is the source or trigger that signals cortisol to be released.
Stress is typically caused by an external source - for example, a conflict with a partner. When the conflict is resolved, cortisol levels return to normal. This is how we know we’re dealing with stress, not anxiety.
Anxiety, on the other hand, doesn’t always have a clear cause, and doesn’t necessarily subside when the stressor subsides. According to the American Psychology Association, anxiety is “persistent, excessive worries that don’t go away even in the absence of a stressor.”
Stress and anxiety can manifest themselves in similar ways: chronic fatigue, insomnia, muscle pain, irritability, gut issues and more. Interestingly, when it comes to gut issues, emerging research shows that stress/anxiety and gut health are a two-way street: high cortisol can cause gut issues and gut issues can cause high cortisol. It’s a vicious cycle.
The good news is, this two-way connection might mean that improving your gut health can lower cortisol, and lowering cortisol might improve your gut health.
Managing Anxiety vs. Stress
First and foremost, when it comes to anxiety, I recommend working with a mental health professional to get the support you need. There are, however, a few additional things I like to include in my routine to help me reduce anxiety:
meditation or a stillness practice
mindfulness - being in the present moment as much as possible
breathwork
gut healthy foods like sauerkraut, chia seeds or fiber rich foods.
herbs like ashwaghanda, lemon balm, lavender and chamomile
a relaxing night time routine
When it comes to stress, there are two components: responding to stress when a trigger arises, and reducing overall stress in your life. When a trigger arises that causes you stress, try these tools to regulate your nervous system and respond calmly (instead of reacting).
Alternate nostril breathing (turns off fight or flight mode)
Quick body scan
Count to 90 in your head to create space between the trigger and the response
If possible, go outside and plant your feet in the grass
While the above tools are helpful, reducing overall stress is where we really make a difference. Of course, we can’t prevent all stress, and some stress is actually a good thing! The goal is not to remove stress altogether, but to minimize it so that we don’t experience the negative effects of high cortisol.
Here are some things you can do to reduce overall stress in your life.
Create stronger boundaries: whether it’s work, relationship, or family related, often the stress we feel is a result of loose boundaries.
Communicate your needs: figure out what it is you need to feel supported and communicate those needs with the people around you.
Let go of procrastination: make a habit of tackling your biggest, most daunting task first. This will do wonders for your productivity and stress levels.
Get comfortable saying no. People pleasing is a major source of stress, but remember it’s not your job to manage other people’s emotions, it’s your job to take care of you.
Don’t over-book yourself. Schedule time for yourself and adhere to it. Go into your calendar right now and pick a weekend in the next month or so where you’re not allowed to make any plans. Just do whatever feels good on that day. Thank me later!
Make the hard decision: whether it’s leaving your job, letting go of a relationship, or making a decision that will improve your quality of life - have the courage to take action and set things in motion.
Laugh more. It truly is the best medicine.
My biggest piece of advice? Slow it down.
Our culture loves to move fast - running out the door with a coffee in your hand, chasing the next career milestone, rushing from obligation to obligation. I’m guilty of it myself. It’s great to have goals and ambition, but it’s even better to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride there. I invite you to take the long way home this week. Stop at a coffee shop and read a book. Don’t make plans. Nap. Rest. Play. The most beautiful things in life are often found in these simple moments.
Your body will thank you.
-Alex
