What is Anxiety?

What’s the difference between anxiety and stress?

The term “stress” gets tossed around a lot, but at what point does stress turn into anxiety?

Many people identify with being stressed. However, physicians today are finding a connection between long- term stress and the onset of disease. So, maybe stress isn’t as innocuous as once thought.

People seek treatment for anxiety, but stress is just a milder form of anxiety and just as harmful to your emotional and physical health if it becomes chronic.

Stress can manifest as fatigue, irritability, burnout, or simply an inability to relax. It can be situational, such as fear of public speaking, fear of change, fear of taking a risk or fear of tackling a desired goal, etc.

Stress can interrupt your sleep, cause stress eating, or damage your relationships.

Our bodies are wired for the stress alarm to go off when we’re confronted with danger. That’s your protective mechanism. However, with many people, the stress alarm goes off whenever there’s a “perceived” danger. Our minds can create scary scenarios that trick our bodies into going into a fight or flight reaction…in other words…anxiety!

If that sounds like you, you might find yourself chronically stressed and unable to relax.

The good news is that stress and anxiety are treatable conditions.

Imagine yourself without the negative thoughts, the ruminations, the tension, the irritability, or the “what if’s”. Imagine what your life would look like if you had the tools to lower your stress.

I’m a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and I’d like to give you those tools. It’s easier than you think to take charge of your stress and return to a place of peace, serenity, and self- confidence!