Have you ever been nervous or worried due to an upcoming test or a big argument with a friend and described the feeling as anxiety? Though they’re extremely similar, the feeling you get from things like this is actually stress. Anxiety and stress are commonly mixed up due to their similar features, but defined by their key differences.
While things like exams, taxes, and change can worsen anxiety, it doesn’t cause it. Anxiety comes from more long-term instances like your career or future. Unlike anxiety, stress comes from things like pressure, difficulties, illnesses, injuries, etc. For example, someone being consistently pressured by their co-workers at work might be stressed out.
Anxiety and stress are also very similar in the way they affect people, specifically teenagers. Restlessness, sleep disorders, trouble concentrating, social withdrawal, and body aches are typically found in people with higher anxiety levels, but stress can cause it as well.
Although stress and anxiety have their differences, one thing that can worsen both for teens is bullying. As of 2023, the bullying rates in central Colorado were 28.1% while cyberbullying rates were at 23.2%. With bullying rates this high, anxiety levels skyrocket and make teenagers feel worse about going to school.
In Colorado, more than 10% of kids ages 3 to 17 reported experiencing anxiety or depression in 2020. This percentage rises as generations go on, thanks to social media. With access to the internet, it’s much easier to consistently cyberbully or be cyberbullied, increasing anxiety and stress in teens.
But how long can anxiety and stress last? Because anxiety can be split into different categories, the periods it can last fluctuate. In most instances with general anxiety (the kind the average person gets) it lasts until something the person was worried about has passed because it typically roots from the fear of not knowing what will happen in the future.
Anxiety disorders are a different story. These can last anywhere from months to years, and even a lifetime. These can include social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and things like phobias. Phobias seem like a small thing that many people have, which can be true, but more serious cases can severely consume a person’s life, leaving them with never ending anxiety and pressure.
For example, by the age of 18, 19% of adolescents meet the criteria for a specific phobia that affects their life with anxiety. 9% experience social anxiety, 6% experience separation anxiety, 5% experience PTSD, and so on. In total, 31% of adolescents in the United States have diagnosable anxiety disorders.
With long-lasting anxiety disorders like these, medication, other treatment, and therapy is suggested more. These medications can include antidepressants, buspirone, paroxetine, and escitalopram, while stress doesn’t call for any treatment or medication, although therapy can help.
Similar to general anxiety, stress can last anywhere from hours to days to months. The extent it lasts is based on what is causing the stress. For example, people experiencing stress due to family issues or long-term illness will experience it for a longer amount of time, while due to bad grades or a bad relationship can last a shorter amount of time, as they’re more likely to be fixed based on how much you want to fix it.
So, despite their similarities, anxiety and stress have key differences and are commonly mixed up for one another. Next time you call that one feeling stress or anxiety, doublethink and identify what’s causing it!