Stressed? Anxious? Maybe you are facing both.
In either situation, knowing how to get relief isn’t always easy. There are times when stress can impact your quality of life. There are many situations where anxiety is uncontrolled without professional treatment.
At Willow Creek Behavioral Health, we help anyone facing an intense and debilitating mental health crisis to get immediate help. That includes providing you with resources when anxiety and stress become so overwhelming that they impact your daily life.
How to Know If You Are Stressed or Dealing with Anxiety
It is not always clear if you are facing stress or anxiety. Determining which applies to you could help you get the type and level of care you need.
So, what is stress?
Stress is a physical or mental response to some type of external cause. Examples of how stress feels include:
- Having too much work to do
- Feeling like you cannot get everything done
- Wanting to perfect a speech or demonstration
These are certainly stressful events. Stress can happen over a single event, like in these situations. It can also be repeated over and over again. Some people face stress very often for a single problem. Other times, numerous factors can contribute to high stress.
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is the way your body reacts to stress. It can happen even if there is no obvious external factor. Anxiety can come and go. It can also last long-term, sometimes leading to an anxiety disorder. When it does last, it can cause numerous challenges. That includes:
- Making it hard to sleep
- Causing you to feel ill often, including with immune, digestive, and cardiovascular problems
- Inability to make decisions
Anxiety isn’t always a bad thing. It often helps your brain to sharpen focus so you can deal with an intense situation with as much clarity as possible. However, when it becomes debilitating, it’s a concern.
How to Know You Need Help for Stress and Anxiety
You don’t always need help for stress or anxiety. Knowing when to act is essential. Both conditions can become challenging to manage over time.
When do you need help with stress?
Getting professional help for stress management is something you can do anytime. You may wish to seek help if the stress becomes so intense that it makes it hard for you to make decisions. If your quality of life or health changes, seek help. Working with a therapist can open the door for new stress management techniques.
When do you need help with anxiety?
Anxiety is internal and more challenging to deal with in most cases. There’s often an underlying cause of the anxiety that goes beyond the surface concern. We recommend getting treatment for anxiety when it starts to interfere with your daily life. That includes making it hard to sleep, eat, or care for yourself.
If you have anxiety and are unsure what the immediate threat is, professional treatment can help. Your therapist will help you uncover what’s happening and change negative, often inaccurate, thought patterns that cause anxiety to spiral.
Signs You Need Professional Help for Anxiety or Stress
The following are critical signs to monitor for and get help for immediately. If you are facing intense symptoms, call 988 right away or come to Willow Creek for immediate support.
Emotional and mental health signs include:
- Constant worry, even when others do not have the same concern
- Inability to care for yourself, including managing your eating, sleeping, or hygiene
- Uncontrollable and overwhelming thoughts about negative things and worry
- Cognitive shifts, such as the onset of being forgetful or confused, often
- Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness
Behavioral signs you may need help for stress or anxiety include:
- Avoiding situations or people because you don’t want to deal with the negative feelings or expectations you have
- Withdrawing from social situations, including isolating from friends or family
- Putting your self-care last, including not working, sleeping, or eating well
- Using substances to manage thoughts and negative emotions
Physical signs that you need help for stress and anxiety include:
- Sleep problems, including inability to sleep or constantly feeling tired
- Tension and fatigue in muscles
- Nausea, vomiting, or constantly feeling ill
- Changes in heart rate, including palpitations or chest pain
Stress and Anxiety Are Real Concerns: Get Help for Them
A person feeling stressed or anxious doesn’t have to find themselves stuck. You don’t have to just deal with it. Instead, get help. Our team at Willow Creek provides a wide range of treatment programs for those facing debilitating mental health conditions. Contact us to discuss what you’re feeling or, if you are facing an emergency, just visit our location. We are here for you.
