When do worries become anxiety?

With a reduction in the stigma surrounding mental health, and the infusion of psychoeducation we hear the word anxiety more; both of these things are good. But is there an overgeneralized use of the word anxiety, and how do we know the difference between worry and anxiety?

We all have worries, we all experience flight-or-flight but when do the worries become anxiety? We are all born with an anxiety response, and that response is normal, in fact, it is a vital reaction to threat. When we perceive danger, our amygdala ( a very cool part of our brain) thinks there is something that it needs to protect us from. The problem is that our amygdala, is not a thinker, it's a doer, so sometimes it will think there is danger when there is no danger.

When our amygdala goes into action it primes us to respond to dangerous situations and there can be a wide range of body reactions to prepare us to fight, freeze or flee.

You might feel:

• Breathless or puffed

• Fast, shallow breathing

• Flushed face

• Sweaty

• Dizzy or confused

• Pounding heart

• Arms and legs can feel tingly or wobbly

• Burst of emotions such as crying or anger

• Nausea, butterflies in your stomach or the urge to go to the bathroom

• Dry mouth

Anxiety can feel different for everyone, and importantly it can happen to anyone!

So how might worry differ from anxiety:

• Worry might only exist in our minds; while anxiety can reside in both mind and body.

• Worries can be more specific; while anxiety is more generalized.

• Worry is grounded in reality, while anxiety can involve catastrophic thinking

• Worry is temporary, while anxiety is long-standing

• Worry does not impair function; anxiety does.

Resources:

Anxiety Canada is a great resource, it has psychoeducation, free groups, and access to the MindShift app information.