Stress and anxiety
Key points
- Stress can come from any situation or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or anxious.
- In small quantities, stress is good - it can motivate you and help you be more productive.
- Stress can be from fear of an actual danger (an appropriate reaction), an emotional state (like grief or depression), or a physical condition (like an overactive thyroid, low blood sugar, or heart attack).
- The most effective solution is to find and address the source of your stress or anxiety.
Definition:
Stress can come from any situation or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or anxious. What is stressful to one person is not necessarily stressful to another.
Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension or fear. The source of this uneasiness is not always known or recognized, which can add to the distress you feel.
Alternative Names:
Anxiety; Feeling uptight; Stress; Tension; Jitters; Apprehension
Considerations:
Stress is a normal part of life. In small quantities, stress is good - it can motivate you and help you be more productive. However, too much stress, or a strong response to stress, can actually harm your mind and your bod over time. This can set you up for general poor health as well as specific physical or psychological illnesses like infection, heart disease, or depression. Persistent and unrelenting stress often leads to anxiety and unhealthy behaviors like overeating and abuse of alcohol or drugs.
Anxiety is an emotion often accompanied by various physical symptoms, including:
- Twitching or trembling
- Muscle tension
- Headaches
- Sweating
- Dry mouth
- Difficulty swallowing
- Abdominal pain (may be the only symptom of stress especially in a child)
Sometimes other symptoms accompany anxiety:
- Dizziness
- Rapid or irregular heart rate
- Rapid breathing
- Diarrhea or frequent need to urinate
- Fatigue
- Irritability, including loss of your temper
- Sleeping difficulties and nightmares
- Decreased concentration
- Sexual problems
Anxiety disorders are a group of psychiatric conditions that involve excessive anxiety. They include generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and social phobia.
Common Causes:
Stress can be from fear of an actual danger (an appropriate reaction), an emotional state (like grief or depression), or a physical condition (like an overactive thyroid, low blood sugar, or heart attack).
Certain drugs, both recreational and medicinal, can lead to symptoms of anxiety due to either side effects or withdrawal from the drug. Such drugs include caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, cold remedies, decongestants, bronchodilators for asthma, tricyclic antidepressants, cocaine, amphetamines, diet pills, Ritalin (often used for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), and thyroid medications.
Written and revised by
Gerald Hurowitz, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
health.am provides general information, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional about your own health.