Differentiating Between Stress and Anxiety

Many people confuse Stress and Anxiety, thinking they are one in the same. However, stress and anxiety are two different conditions.

Stress normally originates from the pressure of life events, and the intense demands put on us by work, family, responsibilities, conflicts and many other sources. When we are stressed, our bodies produce adrenalin. If those high levels of adrenalin remains present in our bodies over an extended period, we can experience depression, high blood pressure, and many other negative effects.

One of the negative effects that we may experience is anxiety. When you are experiencing anxiety; fear, worry and dread overcome all other emotions. This can lead to dizziness, chest pains, shortness of breath, agoraphobia and panic attacks.

Let’s ask ourselves a few questions and try to determine whether you suffer from stress, anxiety or both.

Before we begin, please note that we are not medical professionals. While this information has come from reliable sources, it isn’t meant to be a complete diagnostic tool. These quizzes are simply guidelines to help you identify any problems you might have in order to effectively deal with those problems.

Ask yourself the following:

Do you worry frequently and experience negative self-talk?

Do you have trouble concentrating?

Do you get angry and lash out easily?

Do you have chronic neck and shoulder pain or headaches?

Do you grind your teeth?

Do you often feel overwhelmed, anxious or depressed?

Do you perpetuate your stress with unhealthy habits (smoking, excessive eating or drinking, arguing, or other avoidance methods?)

Do small pleasures fail to please you?

Do you experience bursts of anger over minor issues?

If you answered “Yes” to several of these questions, then you are experiencing excessive stress in your life. The good news is that there are many valuable techniques that you can learn to cope with that stress. Click here to try a free Holothink demo NOW!


What about anxiety?

Do you experience shortness of breath, heart palpitations or trembling while at rest?

Do you have fears of losing control or “going crazy”?

Do you avoid social interaction because of fear?

Do you have fears of specific items?

Do you fear that you will find yourself in a situation or place from which you cannot escape?

Are you afraid of leaving your home?

Do you have recurring thoughts or mental images that will not go away?

Do you feel compelled to do certain actions repetitively?

Do you persistently relive a disturbing incident from the past?

Answering “Yes” to more than four of these questions may be a sign of an anxiety disorder.

Suffering from excess stress or anxiety can jeopardize your overall health and it’s time to do something about it – RIGHT NOW!

Click here to read stories by people who have overcome their anxiety using the panic away method.

Stress Management Series - Part 2 -Build Healthy Coping Methods

It can be helpful to identify and examine your coping strategies for managing stress. One way to do this is by journaling.

Journaling doesn't have to be a complicated or time-consuming activity. Over time, you will probably even come to enjoy it. In the beginning it can be helpful to keep it simple, and just record:

• What happened (argument with spouse, stressful incident at work, receiving bad news, etc.)
• How you felt when it happened (anxious, angry, sad, panicky, etc.)
• How you reacted (what did you say or do?)
• How you could have reacted better (talked it over, removed yourself from the situation to calm down, talked to a friend about it, etc.)

As you begin to see a pattern in the types of incidents that cause you a lot of stress and how you deal with them, you will be able to formulate a plan for dealing with these situations more effectively and in a healthier manner.

This can be a very effective way of developing better coping strategies and learning to manage stress.

Stress Management Series - Part 1

Chances are good that if you live on planet Earth, (and as far as I know, my blog has not reached the outer limits of the universe yet), you have stress in your life. No matter who you are, where you're from, or what you do, you experience stress. I think a lot of our stress originates from the way we live, work, and even the way we relax.

Since there is just no way to avoid stress, we need to find effective ways to manage stress. I am going to post a small series on some of the methods you can practice on a regular basis to win the war against stress. Make these things a part of your daily routine just like brushing your hair and flossing your teeth.

Today's focus is on:

Time Management

Perfect your time management skills and you will have won half the battle. Managing your time effectively will allow you to organize your day so that you will be able to spend more time with your family and friends, and doing the things that you enjoy doing. This will improve your productivity and performance, allow you more down-time and help reduce your stress level.

Time Management Tips:
• Concentrate on one task at a time. This way you will complete your tasks faster and you will be able to get more done.
• Delegate responsibilities to others whenever possible.
• Schedule time for you. Just like you would book an appointment for a meeting, schedule time to do things for you.
• Record your day. Make note of how your time is spent, including work, family, and fun time. Review your record on a regular basis and make adjustments where needed.
• Organize your time by prioritizing tasks in order of importance. Spend your time on the tasks that are important to you.
• Avoid over-committing. If it is not important to you, say no.
• Use a scheduler or day-planner. Divide large tasks into smaller pieces, and set short-term goals for yourself.

By following these few tips on a regular basis, you should be able to start to take control of your time and begin reducing the stress in your day-to-day life.

Tomorrow I will focus on: Building Healthy Coping Methods