There is the mud, and there is the lotus that grows out of the mud. We need the mud in order to make the lotus.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
Anxiety Disorders
What is the Difference Between Stress and Anxiety?
Stress and Anxiety are often used interchangeably in everyday conversations, but there is a significant difference. Stress is your response (emotional and/or physical) response to a real and specific threat. For example, if you unexpectedly encountered a hungry grizzly bear while camping, your heart might begin to pound and you might experience feelings of fear and thoughts of wanting to escape the situation. This would be a stress response as you were responding to a specific stressor (the bear) in that given moment. With Anxiety, however, there is no identifiable root cause at the moment.
A person with Anxiety might worry about encountering a bear on their camping trip and plan how they might escape if they saw one but might never actually encounter a bear.
Anxiety-like stress often manifests itself with both emotional and physical symptoms, but Anxiety is more often about the worry and doubt about the person's ability to cope with a perceived threat that has not yet happened. If you or someone you care about is suffering or overwhelmed by chronic stress or excessive worrying, our clinicians at Vantage Point are available to help you.
What is an Anxiety Disorder?
An Anxiety Disorder is a type of mental illness that is characterized by persistent worry, apprehension, anxiety, or physical symptoms and causes an individual significant distress. Individual's with anxiety disorders have a hard time controlling their anxiety and may avoid situations that trigger the anxiety in an effort to reduce their distress. This avoidance may eventually lead to isolation or impairment in some area of an individual's functioning.
Important relationships may be impacted and individuals may have difficulties performing at work or at school.
What are the Common Types of Anxiety Disorders?
Visit NAMI for more information on the types of Anxiety Disorders.