Don't Let Stress and Anxiety Put a Damper on the Holiday Season
How to tell if you're experiencing normal end-of-the-year stress – or if your symptoms require medical attention.
By Neha Vyas, M.D., Contributor Dec. 21, 2018, at 6:00 a.m.
Difference Between Stress and Anxiety
It's December – the last and, for many of us, busiest month of the year. Because you're so busy, you might be feeling irritable and exhausted, and your to-do list may seem longer each passing day. Your hands are sweaty and clammy and you're not sleeping well at night. To compensate, you're hitting the coffee pot more than you typically do. That in turn leads to feeling fidgety. Your heart is beating faster, and you ultimately end up with a stomach ache. You think you're just stressed, but could it be anxiety? And what's the difference between stress and anxiety, anyway?
Stress is your body's response to a specific event, and once the event or stressor is over, your symptoms go away. Anxiety tends to linger and sometimes requires treatment with medications to make those symptoms cease. While some amount of stress can be considered healthy and motivates us to work on making the stress go away, an excessive amount of stress can lead to anxiety. And if it's left untreated, anxiety leads to unhealthy habits such as smoking, overeating or engaging in risky behaviors such as using illicit drugs or excessively consuming alcohol. The symptoms of anxiety include the above, as well as near perpetual worry, feeling overwhelmed or having difficulty concentrating.
https://health.usnews.com/health-care/for-better/articles/2018-12-21/whats-the-difference-between-stress-and-anxiety
