Stress and anxiety can actually be good thing, here’s why (and how)
Stress and anxiety can help you grow.
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I was listening to a podcast episode where Chloe Carmichael, PhD talks about how having stress and anxiety isn’t exactly a bad thing. When we our anxious or stressed, we try to shove it deep down us or try to get that feeling to go away. Instead of trying to ignore the issue completely and ruin your wellbeing, there’s a way to direct stress and anxiety in the right direction. Chloe explains how.
Is stress and anxiety the same thing?
No, stress and anxiety are not the same thing.
Stress occurs in real time. You are in a position where you have been pushed to the utmost of your capability. For instance, when you are at work, there are days where you have been working really hard and been pushed to the maximum of abilities. This gives you stress.
Anxiety are thoughts or feelings about your future. This can be 2 seconds from now, or a week from now or 10 years from now. In the US alone, 40 million adults (18 years or older) deal with anxiety disorders. According to ADAA, anxiety is a reaction to the stress.
What are the causes of stress and anxiety?
Stress is caused by many factors such as being under lots of pressure, constant worrying, during times of uncertainty or being overwhelmed.
Anxiety is caused by few larger issues such as the improper comparison to other people’s lives in social media platforms.
Misconceptions of stress and anxiety
There are two biggest misconceptions of stress and anxiety.
First, anxiety is everyone’s enemy. Second, stress disrupts your ability to do more.
This is not true if you use few tools that Chloe has suggested (such as practicing mindfulness and meditation). Instead of shoving these feelings inside and being unproductive, directing it in the right path will help you in your mental and physcial growth.
