The Difference Between Worry, Stress and Anxiety

The Difference Between Worry, Stress and Anxiety(aNGˈzīədē)

They’re not all the same, but we do have tips(tip) to help you deal with all of them.

By Emma Pattee

You probably experience worry, stress or anxiety at least once on any given day. Nearly 40 million people in the U.S. suffer(ˈsəfər) from an anxiety disorder, according to the Anxiety and Depression(dəˈpreSH(ə)n) Association(-SHē-,əˌsōsēˈāSHən) of America. Three out of four Americans reported feeling stressed in the last month, a 2017 study found. But in one of these moments, if asked which you were experiencing — worry, stress or anxiety — would you know the difference?

I reached out to two experts to help us identify — and cope(kōp) with — all three.

What is worry?

Worry is what happens when your mind dwells on negative thoughts, uncertain outcomes or things that could go wrong. “Worry tends to be repetitive(rəˈpedədiv), obsessive(əbˈsesiv) thoughts,” said Melanie(ˈmeləni) Greenberg, a clinical(ˈklinək(ə)l) psychologist in Mill(mil) Valley(ˈvalē), Calif., and the author(ˈôTHər) of “The Stress-Proof Brain” (2017). “It’s the cognitive component of anxiety.” Simply put, worry happens only in your mind, not in your body.

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What is stress?

Stress is a physiological(ˌfizēəˈläjək(ə)l) response connected to an external event. In order for the cycle of stress to begin, there must be a stressor(ˈstresər). This is usually some kind of external circumstance, like a work deadline or a scary(ˈske(ə)rē) medical test. “Stress is defined as a reaction to environmental changes or forces(fôrs) that exceed(ikˈsēd) the individual’s resources,” Dr. Greenberg said.

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What is anxiety?

If stress and worry are the symptoms(ˈsim(p)təm), anxiety is the culmination(ˌkəlməˈnāSHən). Anxiety has a cognitive element (worry) and a physiological response (stress), which means that we experience anxiety in both our mind and our body. “In some ways,” Dr. Marques(märk) said, “anxiety is what happens when you’re dealing with a lot of worry and a lot of stress.”

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Too worried, stressed or anxious(ˈaNG(k)SHəs) to read the whole article?

Here’s the takeaway: Worry happens in your mind, stress happens in your body, and anxiety happens in your mind and your body. In small doses(dōs), worry, stress and anxiety can be positive forces(fôrs) in our lives. But research shows that most of us are too worried, too stressed and too anxious. The good news, according to Dr. Marques, is that there are simple (not easy) first steps to help regulate(ˈregyəˌlāt) your symptoms: Get enough sleep; eat regular, nutritious(n(y)o͞oˈtriSHəs) meals; and move your body.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/26/smarter-living/the-difference-between-worry-stress-and-anxiety.html