How to distinguish stress, depression, and anxiety disorders

Almost everyone has experienced stress. Whether it's because of the office work close deadlines, family or partner conflicts, to trivial matters such as stress over traffic jams in the capital city. The fear, anxiety, and anxiety that suffocate from this stress can be miserable and feel like an endless stream. However, have you ever wondered what is the difference between stress and depression?

This is where you need to be careful. Severe stress that gets worse and is not treated promptly can lead to a number of chronic mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety disorders. And if these chronic disorders are not treated properly, they can seriously damage your quality of life. It's important that you recognize the difference between stress, anxiety disorders, and depression in order to get the right help before it's too late.

What is stress?

Stress is a form of self-defense reaction when you are in a stressful situation. Although it is frowned upon, stress is actually part of a primitive human instinct to keep us safe and alive.

Once you are faced with a stressful situation. For example, a work project presentation next week, the body perceives this as a danger or threat. To protect you, the brain will start producing a number of hormones and chemical compounds such as adrenaline, cortisol, and norepinephrine which trigger the "fight or flight" reaction in the body.

Sometimes, stress can provide an energy boost and increased concentration so you can respond to sources of stress effectively. But more often than not, stress actually causes your brain to flood your body with these three hormones, which can lead to you feeling restless, anxious, and anxious. At the same time, blood will be focused on flowing to parts of the body that are useful for physical response such as the feet and hands so that brain function decreases. This is why many people find it difficult to think clearly when haunted by stress.

What is an anxiety disorder?

Everyone experiences stress and anxiety at least once in their life. The difference is, stress is the body's response to threats in random situations that can harm you. Anxiety is your reaction to stress.

Familiar with the sensation of heartburn, lightheadedness, racing heart, rushed breath, and cold sweat when you have worries before speaking in public? Or while waiting for a job interview to be called? These are some signs that you are stressed and / or anxious. Usually this series of symptoms will subside as soon as you feel relieved or finish your task. This means that the level of psychological pressure you receive is still "healthy" so that you are still able to handle the situation appropriately.

Anxiety becomes a chronic psychological disorder when you are constantly engulfed by unreasonable fears or fears of all kinds of things that you perceive as major threats but that pose no real danger. Anxiety is a psychiatric disorder that is recognized by the medical world. Anxiety disorder is a condition that your doctor can diagnose based on a collection of symptoms that you experience on an ongoing basis.

Living with an anxiety disorder keeps you under constant stress even after the threatening event has been over you for a long time. And even when you are not exposed to any stressors, that anxiety will always stay subconscious - haunting you with constant restlessness throughout the day. You can experience an anxiety disorder every day with very obvious symptoms, such as social phobia, or come on suddenly without a reason, such as a panic attack or anxiety attack. This means that anxiety disorders do not have to surface in response to certain experiences / situations.

What is depression?

Depression is a mental illness characterized by a sufferer's deterioration of mood, feelings, stamina, appetite, sleep patterns, and concentration levels. Depression is not a sign of weakness or character flaws. Depression is also not synonymous with feelings of sadness or grief, which usually improve over time - although in some cases, depression can be triggered by ongoing grief or severe stress.

Stress and depression affect you in the same way, but depressive symptoms are much more intense and debilitating, and last at least two weeks or more. Depression causes drastic changes in moodiness, which can lead to feelings of hopelessness, misery, and even the unwillingness to move on. Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in today's society. It is estimated that one in five people in the world may experience depression at some stage in their life.

So, what is the difference between stress, depression and anxiety disorders?

Although there are some overlapping characteristics of stress, depression, and anxiety disorders, these three emotional fluctuations come from very different places. The stress we experience in our daily lives is related to feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. Meanwhile, anxiety disorders and depression can be rooted in worry, fear, and hopelessness that have no definite cause. Although all of them may be triggered by many factors, including genetics, biology and brain chemistry, life trauma, to ongoing chronic stress. The main difference between the three is a sense of helplessness.

When you are under stress and anxiety, you know exactly what you are dealing with. It is a challenge that you encounter everyday (albeit randomly) likedeadline work, financial bills, or household affairs. But sometimes, what stresses you out can also come from within, triggered by an overactive or not thinking clearly. The stress and anxiety will go away when you prioritize and tackle them one by one. In the end, you can find a way out of every problem and get back on your feet with the day.

Meanwhile, living with an anxiety disorder or depression leaves you powerless to know what your worries are. His reaction was the problem. Both of these psychological disorders occur continuously without having to respond to certain experiences or situations. They also tend to last a long time (often months or even years). Both can severely limit your functioning as a human being. You may feel constantly tired and lose motivation / enthusiasm for activities such as working, socializing, or driving like other people.

All three are psychological disorders that need to be addressed. Not only does it affect mental health, but it can also affect your physical health in the long run. However, depression and anxiety disorders are not something you can treat on your own. So it is important to get medical help as soon as possible. Fortunately, there are a variety of treatment options available to manage symptoms of each.