Stress and Anxiety
There’s a fine line between stress and anxiety. Both are emotional responses, but stress is typically caused by an external trigger. The trigger can be short-term, such as a school deadline or a fight with a friend or parent. People under stress experience mental and physical symptoms, such as irritability, anger, fatigue, muscle pain, digestive troubles, and difficulty sleeping. Anxiety, on the other hand, is defined by persistent, excessive worries that don’t go away even in the absence of a stressor. Anxiety leads to a nearly identical set of symptoms as stress but can become chronic or interfere with everyday functioning: insomnia, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, muscle tension, and irritability.
Symptoms:
Physical symptoms:
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lightheadedness; sweating
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stomachache
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shortness of breath
Anxious thoughts :
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persistent worry
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overgeneralization
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believing the worst will happen
Anxious behaviours:
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avoidance of feared situations
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second-guessing
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seeking reassurance
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irritability and frustration
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compulsive actions
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Be sensitive to what the person with anxiety is going through, even if it doesn’t make sense to you.
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Learn to recognize the signs of excessive worry and anxiety and refer them to a helper
Know what NOT to do:
Don't enable
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ex. Helping your friend to avoid difficult situations
Don't Force Confrontation
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On the other hand, it’s also not good to force a person to do something they’re scared of
Know what to do:
Provide Validation
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Asked the person how you can provide support during challenging moments
Express Concern
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“Hey, I noticed that you’ve been avoiding going to [insert location] and other social gatherings. Can you share with me what caused the change?”
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Remember to approach that person in a warm and positive way!
How can you Help Someone with Stress and Anxiety?
Resources:
Calming Corner:
Welcome to the Virtual Calming Corners. On this page, there will be interactive slides in which you will be able to click on the images and be taken to different ways to calm your mind and body. There will also be multiple of resources to help you relax.
Meditation:
The following resources below are quick links which will guide you through meditation techniques as well as extra resources to help you relax the mind.
