In our daily lives, while having a conversation with our friends, family, or workmates, somewhere or the other, we talk about depression, an anxiety attack, or stress. It’s because, in today’s hectic world, every second person is suffering from any of these issues. Well, all three are mental health issues, but only to some extent do people find them similar to each other.
However, when a person feels low or unwell, it’s hard to find the exact reasons.
In today’s post, we will discuss all these mental health issues in detail and differentiate them with respect to their symptoms, causes, and treatments. Let’s begin!
What is Depression, Anxiety Attack, and Stress All About?
According to medical analysis, symptoms of depression, an anxiety attack, and stress coincide, but there are some differences among these three mental conditions that are worth looking at.
Depression
As per the health experts, Depression is a mental health condition with mood disorders. Depressive moods can affect one’s behavior, feelings, thinking patterns, and relationships. Also, depression brings a person to a state in which they lose hope and interest in their favorite activities and feel sad every time.
Anxiety Attack
Medical experts consider anxiety as excessive worry and fear or feelings of unease that may become hard to manage. This mental condition can be mild to severe, and the signs of anxiety may become worse or hard to manage if left overlooked or untreated.
Stress
One of the overwhelming feelings one may go through is Stress, which may trigger a person when their coping capacity is overstretched. Stress in today’s daily lifestyle has become quite common and makes one feel distressed and exhausted, and sometimes leads to anger issues. This physical and emotional response is one of the challenging feelings and may bring conflicts, destructive relationships, and difficulty in surviving at work, school, and even at home.
Discussing the Symptoms of Anxiety, Depression, and Stress
Moving on, now let’s have a quick discussion on the symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress for a better understanding and differentiation of all three mental conditions. Have a look:
Common Symptoms of Depression:
People with depression do not undergo normal sadness but experience it deeply, and it may be throughout the day or a week. As just discussed, depressive moods can significantly impact one’s life and relationships by developing symptoms, including
- Continuous sadness
- Feelings of loneliness
- No more interest in activities you used to enjoy
- Loss of energy
- Frequent body fatigue
- Sleeplessness problems
- Increased anger issues
- Easily get irritated and frustrated
- Isolation from family and friends
- Increased impulsiveness
Symptoms of Anxiety
Somewhere or another, everyone feels anxious due to multiple factors, which we will discuss later. However, it’s normal to feel anxious in some situations after a mental breakdown, significant loss, or traumatic phase. But, if it’s getting frequent, it becomes an ongoing concern that starts adversely affecting one’s life. The Symptoms of Anxiety as excessive worry and fear include:
- Lack of attention and concentration
- Body issues like muscle aches, fatigue, or nausea
- Frequent restless feelings
- Overwhelming fear
- Overthinking and excessive worries
- Sense of being on the edge of everything
- Brain fog
- Sleeping disorders
- Panic attacks
- Fear of socializing or social anxiety
Symptoms of Stress
One of the normal emotional responses one goes through is Stress. Sometimes, it’s due to work pressure, family issues, financial crises, relationship conflicts, or anything else, and often due to overthinking or experiencing any traumatic phase of life. Stress can considerably impact one’s mental and physical well-being with not-so-healthy outcomes. Its symptoms may include:
- Headaches or body aches
- High blood pressure and chest pains
- Feeling overwhelmed or anxious
- Irritability or moodiness
- Fatigue or low-energy
- Difficulty sleeping
- Blurred eyesight or sore eyes
- Panic attacks
- Heartburn
- Weak immune system
What Causes Depression, Stress, and Anxiety Issues?
There’s no single cause of stress, anxiety attacks, and depression. A number of reasons may cause a person to suffer from these mental health issues. Let’s specifically discuss the causes of stress, depression, and anxiety issues:
What brings one to the risk of Anxiety?
The given factors may become the risk of one’s frequent social anxiety issues and feelings:
- Experiencing any childhood trauma or hurtful event.
- Having a long-term health disease or disability.
- Being unemployed for a longer period.
- Death of a loved one.
- Negative life events with a significant emotional impact.
- Financial instability or sudden crisis.
Risk Factors of Depression
One may develop the signs of depression due to the following reasons:
- Maybe the genes one inherited from parents.
- Relationship breakdown or other stressful happenings.
- During Pregnancy or the postpartum period.
- Menopause
- Prolonged treatments of severe diseases like Cancer.
- Too much consumption of alcohol or drugs.
Common Causes of Stress
Feeling stressed may have a number of reasons, including,
- Too much pressure from work, academics, or family.
- Drastic or prominent changes in life.
- Overthinking or worries about something specifically.
- No control over any worsening situation.
- Overwhelming responsibilities.
- Being idle or not having any work for a longer period.
- Undergoing abuse, hate, or feelings of being left out.
- Experiencing a time of uncertainty in everything.
How Can Depression, Anxiety Attack, and Stress Be Treated?
Now, we will discuss the proven and effective treatments for the coexisting signs of depression, stress, and an anxiety attack.
Start following a routine
Maintaining a routine lifestyle or continuing with a strict healthy schedule can be effective for managing anxiety, depression, and daily life stress. A regularly followed routine is a reason for promoting a sense of control, happy hormones, and anger management. The routine may include:
- Self-care techniques
- Early morning meditation
- Regular physical exercises
- Taking a proper diet
- Opting for some productive activities
On-time and proper sleep
Timely going to bed every day and taking 8 hours of sleep is another easy way of treating depression, anxiety, and stress-related problems. Additionally, good sleep can be a stress buster, as it affects one’s mental well-being, improves depressive moods, and relaxes the stressed nerves of the mind. Also, for a good and sound sleep, you must consider the tips below:
- Go for a walk that helps you feel composed before going to bed.
- Sleep in a dark and quiet bedroom at a suitable temperature.
- Turn off all the electronic devices and stop screen time an hour before bedtime.
- Try to sleep at the same time or around it daily.
Do more of what makes you happy!
It’s not just a quote but one must follow this in their everyday life. Since a depressed person may lose interest in their favorite activities and one with anxious feelings may feel restless all the time. Thus, it’s essential to find something that brings happiness, joy, and hope in life. Start learning some new skills, indulge yourself in your hobbies, travel more, or keep yourself busy that you enjoy the most.
Meditation or Yoga Therapy
To overcome or manage the developing signs of anxiety, depression, or stress, say “yes” to daily meditation and Yoga therapy. It’s again a stress buster and an effective therapy for treating anxiety or depression issues. Yoga therapy focuses on one’s physical, emotional, and mental well-being, helping them promote lost body energy, enhance concentration, manage anger, and relieve stress. Such therapy treatment includes:
- Mindfulness
- Breathing exercises
- Meditation
- Body movements
- Relaxation exercises
Visit your Nearby Therapists
It’s always good to search for an “Anxiety Disorder Therapist near me” if seeking professional support to treat anxiety, depression, or stress-related issues. A professional mental health therapist can better understand the developing symptoms and causes and recommend the relevant treatment therapies. Going for regular therapies and counselling can help one manage developing anxiety, depression, or stress-related signs. The therapies include:
- Talk therapies
- Cognitive Behavioral therapy
- Yoga therapy
- Interpersonal Psychotherapy
- Somatic therapy
If you’re also someone looking for any of the above-given therapies to help yourself, search for an anxiety disorder therapist near me.
Summing Up..!
So, that’s all! We hope this post has helped you differentiate between Depression, an anxiety attack, and stress. Well, all these mental health issues may have different and overlapping causes plus symptoms, but with the above-given treatment and therapies, one can get help treating their stress, anxiety, and depression-related problems. We suggest you try improving your lifestyle with the help of the above-given therapies and treatments, but if you’re unable to manage on your own, consult a therapist.
Also Read: Depression Treatment: Should You See a Psychiatrist or Psychologist?