压力和焦虑有什么区别？
Knowing the difference can ensure you get the help you need.
了解两者的区别可以确保你获得所需的帮助。
There’s a fine line between stress and anxiety. Both are emotional responses, but stress is typically caused by an external trigger. The trigger can be short-term, such as a work deadline or a fight with a loved one or long-term, such as being unable to work, discrimination, or chronic illness. People under stress experience mental and physical symptoms, such as irritability, anger, fatigue, muscle pain, digestive troubles, and difficulty sleeping.
压力和焦虑之间有一条很细微的界限。两者都是情绪反应，但压力通常由外部触发因素引起。触发因素可能是短期的，如工作截止日期或与亲人争吵，也可能是长期的，如无法工作、歧视或慢性疾病。处于压力下的人会出现心理和生理症状，例如易怒、愤怒、疲劳、肌肉疼痛、消化问题以及睡眠困难。
Anxiety,
on the other hand, is defined by persistent, excessive worries that don’t go away even in the absence of a stressor. Anxiety leads to a nearly identical set of symptoms as stress: insomnia, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, muscle tension, and irritability.
Both mild stress and mild anxiety respond well to similar coping mechanisms. Physical activity, a nutritious and varied diet, and good sleep hygiene are a good starting point, but there are other coping mechanisms available.
另一方面，焦虑则表现为持续的、过度的担忧，即使在没有压力源的情况下也不会消失。焦虑会导致与压力几乎相同的症状集：失眠、注意力难以集中、疲劳、肌肉紧张和易怒。
轻度压力和轻度焦虑对类似的应对机制反应良好。体育活动、营养均衡且多样的饮食以及良好的睡眠卫生是不错的起点，但还有其他应对机制可供选择。
If your stress or anxiety does not respond to these management techniques, or if you feel that either stress or anxiety are affecting your day-to-day functioning or mood, consider talking to a mental health professional who can help you understand what you are experiencing and provide you additional coping tools. For example, a psychologist can help determine whether you may have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders differ from short-term feelings of anxiety in their severity and in how long they last: The anxiety typically persists for months and negatively affects mood and functioning. Some anxiety disorders, such as agoraphobia (the fear of public or open spaces), may cause the person to avoid enjoyable activities or make it difficult to keep a job.
According to the latest data from the National Institute of Mental Health, 31% of Americans will experience an anxiety disorder during their lifetimes.
如果这些压力管理技巧对你的压力或焦虑没有效果，或者你感觉压力或焦虑正在影响你的日常功能或情绪，请考虑与心理健康专业人士谈谈。他们可以帮助你理解自己正在经历的情况，并提供额外的应对工具。例如，心理学家可以帮助判断你是否可能患有焦虑症。焦虑症与短期的焦虑感在严重程度和持续时间上有所不同：焦虑通常会持续数月，并对情绪和功能产生负面影响。某些焦虑症，如广场恐惧症（对公共或开放空间的恐惧），可能会导致人们回避愉快的活动，或使维持工作变得困难。
根据美国国家心理健康研究所的最新数据，31%的美国人一生中会经历焦虑症。
One of the most common anxiety disorders is generalized anxiety disorder. To identify if someone has generalized anxiety disorder, a clinician will look for symptoms such as excessive, hard-to-control worry occurring most days over six months. The worry may jump from topic to topic. Generalized anxiety disorder is also accompanied by the physical symptoms of anxiety.
Another type of anxiety disorder is panic disorder, which is marked by sudden attacks of anxiety that may leave a person sweating, dizzy, and gasping for air. Anxiety may also manifest in the form of specific phobias (such as fear of flying) or as social anxiety, which is marked by a pervasive fear of social situations.
最常见的焦虑障碍之一是广泛性焦虑障碍。要判断一个人是否患有广泛性焦虑障碍，临床医生会寻找诸如过度且难以控制的担忧等症状，这种担忧在六个月内大多数天数都会出现，且可能从一个话题跳到另一个话题。广泛性焦虑障碍还会伴随焦虑的躯体症状。
另一种焦虑障碍是惊恐障碍，其特点是突然发作的焦虑，可能导致患者出汗、头晕和呼吸急促。焦虑还可能表现为特定恐惧症（如对飞行的恐惧）或社交焦虑，后者以对社交场合的普遍恐惧为特征。
Anxiety disorders can be treated with psychotherapy, medication, or a combination of the two. One of the most widely used therapeutic approaches is cognitive behavioral therapy, which focuses on changing maladaptive thought patterns related to the anxiety. Another potential treatment is exposure therapy, which involves confronting anxiety triggers in a safe, controlled way in order to break the cycle of fear around the trigger.
焦虑症可以通过心理治疗、药物或两者的结合进行治疗。最广泛使用的治疗方法之一是认知行为疗法，它专注于改变与焦虑相关的不良思维模式。另一种潜在的治疗方法是暴露疗法，它涉及在安全可控的环境中面对焦虑触发因素，以打破围绕触发因素的恐惧循环。