Anxiety is a word that gets tossed around a lot these days on social media and even in daily conversation. It can get murky as to what constitutes true anxiety and what is just a normal amount of human worry or concern.
Do you ever wonder if you're just a worrier or if you actually have anxiety? Maybe you've found yourself lying awake at night, thoughts racing about everything that could go wrong. Or perhaps you feel a constant sense of unease that you just can't shake, no matter how much you try to rationalize it away.
These kinds of thoughts and feelings can be overwhelming, and it's not always easy to tell whether you're dealing with everyday worry or something more serious like anxiety. Understanding the difference can be crucial for managing your mental health and finding the right strategies to cope.
Worry vs. Anxiety
Worry is a feeling caused by an external circumstance in which the individual is concerned about an outcome not turning out the way they want it to. A certain amount of worry is completely normal and actually necessary for humans to protect their own safety and the safety of loved ones. A healthy amount of worry can signify that the individual cares deeply about themselves and the people in their life. Think of it this way — if we didn’t worry at all about a child running down the street, then we wouldn’t take appropriate precautions to make sure that they stayed out of harm’s way.
However, when worry begins to interfere with an individual's ability to carry out basic self-care tasks and impedes their functioning in school, work or relationships, it has crossed the line into anxiety. Anxiety is a phenomenon where the person experiencing it feels a heightened sense of fear and apprehension about a great number of things, often without a logical explanation. These anxious thoughts and feelings cause significant distress, and individuals will often go to great lengths to control situations to reduce their anxiety.
People often use the words “worry” and “anxiety” interchangeably due to the similarities between the two phenomena and the increase in the colloquial use of clinical terms. However, it's essential to understand their differences:
Impact on Quality of Life
Anxiety differs from worry in the frequency and intensity of the discomfort it causes. Clinical anxiety is significant enough to impact an individual's quality of life as well as their ability to function at school, work, in their relationships or major life roles such as parenting.
Resolution of Distress
In worry, when a problem is solved or when a provision has been made to avoid a potential problem, the disturbance goes away in a reasonable period. In anxiety, however, the individual will likely search for other reasons to remain anxious or will remain anxious for no apparent reason.
Source of Distress
Worry is caused by real events, whereas anxiety is created by the mind. For example, someone might worry that when their husband is climbing a ladder, he may fall off and injure himself. An anxious person, on the other hand, may wake up feeling an impending sense of doom that their husband is going to die, with no idea where this notion came from.
Why Understanding the Difference Matters
As an anxiety specialist in Los Angeles, it's crucial to help clients distinguish between worry and anxiety. This distinction can empower individuals to better understand their feelings and develop effective strategies for managing them. If your worry is well-managed, there may be no need for therapy (unless of course you want to optimize your life!)
For those dealing with anxiety, you may want to spend more time looking into your options for seeking relief and healing. A holistic approach to therapy can be particularly beneficial in addressing the underlying causes of anxiety (such as unresolved trauma, loss or attachment issues) and promoting overall well-being.
Final Thoughts
If you're experiencing anxiety or excessive worry, consider seeking therapy to explore these feelings in a supportive environment. Therapy can provide tools and techniques to help you navigate these emotions, leading to a more balanced and fulfilling life.
The good news here is that anxiety is highly treatable, and there is no reason why you need to live with anxiety any further. Studies show that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approaches combined with mindfulness practice are highly effective at treating a wide range of anxiety disorders. This is also a truth that I've seen in my Los Angeles therapy practice over and over again. There is hope. Remember, it's okay to ask for help, and taking the first step towards understanding your emotions is a powerful move towards true healing of mind, body and spirit.
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Disclaimer
This post is meant for educational purposes only and isn’t a substitute for diagnosis, assessment or treatment of mental conditions. If you need professional help, seek it out.
About the author
Hi! I'm Natalie. And my passion is helping ambitious, creative millennials achieve everything they want in life, career and relationships. I provide in-person therapy in Pasadena and online therapy throughout California. Click here to get started.
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