It’s very common to hear, “I have anxiety issues’, or ‘I have been living with anxiety’ without being diagnosed. Is feeling anxious from time to time equivalent to having a an anxiety disorder? Can anxiety be normal? Today we are going to learn about the fine difference between these two terminologies.
Let’s start with feeling anxious. Anxiety is a normal response to stress or a stressful situation. It’s a feeling of fear about what’s about to come. For example, if you suddenly speak on stage without any preparation, most of us will have a normal degree of anxiety. It’s our body’s fight or flight reponse. While this feels unpleasant, it can be a good motivator for us to prepare for exams or work. Normal anxiety is short lived, it lasts only till the stressor, but goes away soon after. It also generally does not stop us from doing the anxiety provoking activity, and there is no general impairment in our day to day life.
An Anxiety disorder on the other hand, is a psychiatric condition where a person may feel anxiety in the absence of an stressor. Often the threats are imagined or anticipated. The anxiety felt is out of proportion to the stress causing incident, and the person usually avoids doing the act even though it my be necessary for them. It generally causes marked impairment in day to day functioning and affects their work, social life, relationships, and may also affect their physical health. Also, in a disorder the anxiety is felt all the time, so even if the stressor goes away, the anxiety persists. Anxiety is the dominant mood state here. People with anxiety disorder could experience anxiety at everything, a in Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or it could be more specific, as in Agoraphobia or a Situational anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorder also might have comorbid panic disorder or depression.
Another important difference between the two is the management. Normal anxiety does not need the person to seek help. If its very often, reassuring yourself, talking to friend, journaling or breathing techniques before an anxiety inducing incident could help. For example, preparing well before a big speech could decrease the anxiety. An anxiety disorder on the other hand, may require the person to seek help from a psychiatrist or psychologist. They may need medications and/or therapy as treatment.
Here is a list of symptoms a person with anxiety disorder may experience:
- Excessive anxiety or worry
- Difficulty in controlling the worry
- Restlessness or feeling keyed up
- Being easily fatigued
- Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
- Irritatbility
- Muscle tension
- Difficulty falling or staying asleep, or restless, unsatisfying sleep
- Difficulty in functioning in everyday life.
Information overload anyone? Lets make it simple for you. Here is a poster that shows the key differences between feeling anxious and anxiety disorder.
I hope this was useful in clearing any doubts about the difference between the two terms. please remember that you experience any distress do not try to self diagnose. It’s always better to consult a Psychiatrist who will help with the correct diagnosis and management. This article is meant for educational purposes only and cannot replace clinical evaluation.