How To Know If It’s More Than Just Worry That Is Causing Anxiety

Everyone worries occasionally, but how do you know if your worrying is getting out of control? People with anxiety disorders often have intense, persistent, and excessive fear and worry about everyday things. While worry generally refers to a cognitive process of considering things that could go wrong, anxiety tends to come with various physical and emotional symptoms that can negatively impact a person’s daily life and ability to function. Therapy can be an effective treatment for both worry and anxiety, and online therapy may be a convenient, customizable alternative to in-person care.

Distinguishing between worry, anxiety, and stress

Worry, anxiety, and stress can all be common feelings, with most people experiencing them at one point or another. However, because these sensations often overlap and because they can each make it challenging to function as usual, it may be difficult to tell them apart. Let’s explore each of these concepts in more detail, beginning with worry.

Worry

Worry is generally when your mind lingers on negative thoughts or things that might go wrong. This experience typically happens only in your mind. While worry might carry a negative connotation, it can calm your brain and help you take action or problem-solve. However, when worries become obsessive and interfere with daily life, that’s when they can present a problem. 

Stress

Stress is typically defined as a physical reaction to an external stressor. When stressed, people may experience a rapid heart rate, shallow breathing, or sweaty palms. From an evolutionary standpoint, stress can be seen as an essential response to a perceived threat. Today, stress usually still affects humans in the same way, releasing cortisol and adrenaline and preparing the body and brain to combat the threat. 

Acute vs. chronic stress

In general, there are two kinds of stress: acute and chronic. Acute stress is typically short-term and resolves quickly. You might experience acute stress if you’re running late to work and are stuck in traffic, or if you have an important deadline and are pulling a project together at the last minute. When you get to work or when the presentation is done, the stress normally resolves. 

Chronic stress, meanwhile, is usually when your body stays in stress mode continuously without a defined external cause. This type of stress can be linked to various health concerns, including physical illness. 

Next, we’ll cover anxiety, which can run on a spectrum and impact people in varying ways.

Degrees of anxiety

Anxiety can be a typical response to stress and may range from mild to severe. Anyone might experience mild anxiety in response to a tense situation. Mild anxiety can also have some emotional and physical symptoms, like low levels of fear or slight sweating, but these symptoms generally do not interfere with the person’s ability to make it through the day. 

In some cases, mild anxiety can enhance performance. For example, if you’re worried about an upcoming exam or work presentation, your nerves can drive you to prepare. Most people experience occasional mild anxiety at some point in their lives.

On the other end of the spectrum may be anxiety disorders. If you experience persistent, severe worry that is excessive for the situation, and it interferes with your ability to live your daily life, you may be experiencing something more serious, like an underlying mental health condition. 

Anxiety disorders

There tend to be many types of anxiety disorders, each with its own signs and symptoms. Understanding these mental health conditions can help you determine if what you’re experiencing may be more than just worry, although only a licensed mental health professional can provide a diagnosis. 

Generalized anxiety disorder

If you often worry about everyday issues or sense that you’re always waiting for disaster to strike, you may have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). People with GAD may worry excessively about things like money, home responsibilities, family problems, or health, even where there is no reason to do so. 

This condition can lead to persistent dread or worry that lasts for weeks, months, or even years if left untreated. 

Some signs of GAD may include the following:

• Worrying excessively about everyday things
• Being unable to control feelings of nervousness
• Knowing that you worry more than you should
• Being unable to relax
• Having a hard time concentrating
• Sleeping problems
• Feeling tired all the time
• Having physical ailments, like muscle aches, headaches, or stomachaches 
• Feeling on edge
• Experiencing shortness of breath or lightheadedness
• Worrying about job security or work performance

Symptoms may fluctuate over time and are often worse during times of increased stress. 

Panic disorder

Another type of anxiety disorder may be panic disorder, which generally involves unexpected and frequent panic attacks. Panic attacks can be seen as intense periods of sudden discomfort, fear, or a sense of losing control, even when no sign of danger exists. They can occur as often as multiple times a day or as infrequently as a few times a year.

Symptoms of a panic attack can include a pounding or racing heart, sweating, chest pain, tingling sensations, trembling, feeling out of control, or feelings of impending doom.

People can have panic attacks without being diagnosed with panic disorder. However, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed. (DSM-5), people with panic disorder usually have recurrent panic attacks with at least one month of worrying about having another one. They also tend to change their behavior to avoid situations, things, or places they associate with panic attacks.

Social anxiety disorder

People with social anxiety disorder (SAD) often have an intense and persistent fear of being observed and judged by others. Some people with this condition may have such an intense fear of social situations that it prevents them from going to work or school or doing other everyday activities. 

People with SAD may experience a pounding or racing heart, sweating, blushing, or trembling. When they’re around people they don’t know or in a crowd, they may assume a rigid body posture, speak quietly, or have difficulty making eye contact.

Phobia-related disorders

A phobia is typically seen as an intense aversion to or fear of specific situations or objects. Although some of these objects or situations may cause anxiety, people with a phobia-related disorder usually have anxiety that is disproportionate to any present danger. 

In general, there are a few types of phobias. Specific or simple phobias may cause intense anxiety about things like flying, blood, heights, getting shots or medical procedures, or specific animals or insects, like snakes, spiders, or dogs.

Agoraphobia is generally when people have an intense fear of two or more of the following situations: 

• Being in enclosed spaces
• Being in open spaces
• Using public transportation
• Being in a crowd
• Standing in line
• Being away from home alone

People with agoraphobia often avoid these situations. In some severe cases, people with this mental illness may become homebound.

Another phobia-related disorder may be separation anxiety disorder. Many people believe that this condition is something only children experience, but while it tends to be more common in children, adults can be diagnosed with separation anxiety, too. This disorder usually causes people to fear being away from those with whom they are emotionally close because they worry that something terrible might happen if they are not together.

Treatments for anxiety

Regardless of what type of anxiety you’re experiencing, treatment is available. 

A healthcare provider, like a primary care doctor or psychiatrist, can prescribe medication for anxiety. The most common classes of medication used for anxiety are generally anti-anxiety medications, antidepressants, and beta-blockers. While medication can alleviate symptoms of GAD and other anxiety disorders, it does not generally cure them. 

Psychotherapy can also treat anxiety disorders, particularly when tailored to the person's specific needs. Therapy can identify and address the root of a person’s anxiety.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has often been studied as an effective intervention for managing a variety of mental health conditions, including anxiety disorders. This form of therapy normally helps people learn different ways of thinking, reacting, and behaving when faced with situations in which they experience anxiety. Exposure therapy can be seen as a form of CBT that can be used to cope with phobias and social anxiety. 

Benefits of online therapy

While worry and anxiety are generally two different things, they can both be distressing. If you’re experiencing symptoms of either concern, speaking to a mental health professional can help. However, if you’re apprehensive about meeting with a therapist face-to-face, online therapy through the BetterHelp platform could be a useful alternative. With online therapy, you can use video chats, phone calls, or in-app messaging to speak with your therapist, depending on your preferences. You’ll also typically have control over the time and location of your sessions, which may reduce any anxiety associated with treatment.  

Effectiveness of online therapy

Anxiety and worry can both be successfully managed and treated with online therapy. In a recent 2020 review, researchers assessed the results of 20 internet-delivered interventions for treating generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). They found that those participating in these studies typically experienced clinically meaningful reductions in anxiety, worry, and depression, as well as improvements in daily functioning and quality of life. These outcomes generally support the effectiveness of online therapy for anxiety, worry, and related concerns. 

Takeaway

Although worry and anxiety may be two different concepts, they can overlap. Worry is usually something that happens only in your mind and can be seen as the cognitive part of anxiety. However, anxiety often has physical and emotional components and can significantly affect people's day-to-day lives and functioning. In some cases, worry might lead to anxiety over time, particularly if left unaddressed. If you are experiencing symptoms of anxiety that interfere with your daily life or have questions about other mental health conditions, online or in-person therapy can be helpful.