Stressed Out? We Can Help!

A guide to stress – and what you can do to alleviate the negative impact of stress in your life

Updated February 2025

Table of contents

• A guide to stress – and what you can do to alleviate the negative impact of stress in your life
• Stress vs. Anxiety – What’s the Difference?
  • What is Stress?
  • What is Anxiety?
  • In a Nutshell – Stress vs. Anxiety
  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
  • Symptoms of Chronic Stress
• Alleviation of Stress and Anxiety Symptoms
  • When to seek medical attention for chronic stress
  • Integrative Treatments for Stress
• References

Most of us know what it feels like to be “stressed out.” 

It is not always easy to manage the amount of stress we are exposed to.

And it can be equally challenging to find the methods that will calm our ongoing symptoms of stress and help to minimize the impact of chronic stress on our health and well-being.

For most of us, feeling anxious is synonymous with feeling stressed. However, although stress and anxiety are related, they are two different things, physiologically and psychologically speaking.

Understanding the difference is important for understanding the types of treatments that will work best.

Stress vs. Anxiety – What’s the Difference?

What is Stress?

The article Physiology, Stress Reaction presents an excellent description of stress, which we’ve adapted here:

Stress is the body’s response to any physical or psychological stimuli (called stressors) that disrupt homeostasis – the state of balance among all the body systems needed for the body to function correctly and survive. Physiological and behavioral changes in response to exposure to stressors constitute the stress response.

A stress response is mediated through a complex interplay of nervous, endocrine, and immune mechanisms in the body. The stress response is adaptive – that is, helpful – in preparing the body to handle the difficulties presented by internal or external stressors. An example of an internal stressor is chronic pain. External stressors are challenging events or conditions encountered in daily life.

Not all forms of stress are detrimental (i.e. cause distress). Some stressors are enjoyable, stimulating, and inspiring. Termed eustress, these positive stressors replenish our energy, enhance cardiovascular health, boost endurance, and sharpen cognitive function.

Exposure to chronic or extreme stressors can cause maladaptive reactions, including depression, cognitive impairment, heart disease, and anxiety- or stress-related disorders such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The chemical messengers of stress

Chronic stress dysregulates one of the body’s stress-response mechanisms (called the HPA axis), causing excess levels of cortisol and other stress hormones to accumulate in the body. Elevated stress hormone levels can disrupt almost all of the body’s functions and lead to physical and mental health issues. To learn more see Stress hormones: Types, function, symptoms, and management.

What is Anxiety?

The American Psychiatric Association defines anxiety as a normal reaction to stress. Mild levels of anxiety can be beneficial in many situations, by alerting us to potential dangers and helping us pay attention and prepare.

By contrast, fear is an emotional response to an immediate threat and is more associated with a fight, flight or freeze reaction – either staying to fight, leaving to escape danger, or freezing (dissociating, for example).

A Harvard Health blog article on the difference between worry and anxiety describes anxiety as having three components: emotional, physiological, and cognitive. The example used is what might happen when you have a presentation coming up at work. You might feel dread – that’s the emotional component. You may also notice bodily sensations like tightness in your stomach – that’s the physiological component. Finally, you might be thinking things like, “I’m behind on getting the PowerPoint together,” or “I’m going to embarrass myself.” Those worries and negative thoughts about what might happen are the cognitive component.

In a Nutshell – Stress vs. Anxiety

In a nutshell, the stress response is a normal part of our physiology, designed to preserve our healthy functioning and survival as an organism. Too much stress can be unhealthy.

Anxiety is a kind of stress response that includes emotional, physiological, and cognitive components which alert us to pay attention and prepare. Chronic anxiety can turn into an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorders are among the most common of all mental health disorders, affecting an estimated 15% to 20% of people at some point in their life.

Modern psychiatry identifies several types of anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and various phobia-related disorders. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was once classified as an anxiety disorder, but has since been reclassified under Trauma and Stress Related Disorders in the DSM-5.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

An estimated 5.7% of U.S. adults experience generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) at some time in their lives. Women are almost twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with GAD. Less than half of adults in the U.S. population affected by GAD are receiving treatment.

A diagnosis of GAD is made when certain symptoms are present more days than not for at least 6 months. GAD often occurs along with other anxiety disorders or depression.

GAD can be triggered by chronic environmental stress. However, sometimes the symptoms of GAD can result as a side effect of a medicine, substance misuse, or substance withdrawal. It can also be linked to health conditions that affect hormonal balances in the body, such as hyperthyroidism. Long-term (chronic) illness and disease can also trigger GAD.

Symptoms of Chronic Stress

Unalleviated, chronic stress can cause an array of symptoms and health problems. Different people experience the impact of chronic stress differently.

• Skin changes – Buildup of cortisol (the “stress hormone”) causes skin to appear dull and dehydrated.
• Digestive issues – Heartburn and upset stomach result when stress causes the body to shift blood used in the digestive process to other parts of the body where it can fuel the fight/flight response.
• Immune system impairment – Minor stress will stimulate the immune system which helps us fight off illness and heal from injury. However, chronic stress can impair immune cells and impede the body’s immune responses, increasing the risk of getting sick and taking longer to heal.
• Circulatory system problems – When the elevation of heart rate and blood pressure caused by the stress response becomes chronic, the result can be sustained high blood pressure (hypertension), which then puts more stress on the blood vessels, increasing the risk of stroke or heart attack.
• Musculoskeletal aches and pains – Stress-induced muscle tension without opportunity to relax leads to various chronic pain conditions. Headaches, back, neck and shoulder pain are common results of chronic stress.
• Behavioral symptoms – The physical imbalances of chronic stress can feed into behaviors like avoidance, self-isolation, loss of interest, irritability, difficulty concentrating, difficulty sleeping, difficulty relating to others. Seeking relief in dysfunctional coping habits like excessive alcohol use is another behavioral symptom.
• Psychological / Emotional symptoms – Anxiety disorders and depression are commonly related to chronic stress or unresolved reactions to stress.

If you are experiencing symptoms of chronic stress, your symptoms may get worse over time if you don’t get help. See your doctor or a mental health provider before your stress-related symptoms get worse. It can be easier to address the sooner you get help.

When to seek medical attention for chronic stress

See your doctor if:

• You are concerned that chronic stress is adversely affecting your health and your ability to function normally
• You have any of the above-mentioned symptoms, to identify medical conditions (such as hypertension) that might be caused by or made worse by stress

See a mental health professional if you are experiencing behavioral, psychological or emotional symptoms.

Seek emergency help immediately if you or a loved one are having suicidal thoughts or in crisis.

• Go to an emergency room, or
• Call 911, or
• Call/text 988, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline – Chat – Official Website – English, Spanish – 24 hours

Integrative Treatments for Stress

It is important to work with your doctor to identify health conditions and/or medications that could be contributing to your stress-related symptoms, so that you and your care team can target the most beneficial treatments.

See Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for Anxiety, which includes a list of standard and integrative treatments for anxiety, plus a detailed discussion of TCM treatments that target symptoms of anxiety and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

Integrative approaches to calming the impact of stress include:

• Acupuncture – It’s like physical therapy for the nervous system. It brings the body back into balance and calms the stress response by reducing cortisol levels or changing neuron functioning.
• Herbal formulas – There are several herbs and herbal formulas used in TCM to alleviate symptoms of chronic stress.
• Essential oils – Anxiety, a common symptom of stress, can be alleviated through the use of calming essential oils.
• Reiki – Studies suggest that a Reiki treatment can lower cortisol, the stress hormone. Combining Reiki with acupuncture can enhance the stress-alleviating effects. Learning Reiki for yourself, and incorporating its practices into your life, can be a powerful way to supplement other modalities for managing the effects of stress in your life. (See deep breathing technique, below.)
• Diet – TCM can offer nutritional advice on foods that help alleviate the imbalances of chronic stress, and also help you handle day-to-day stresses more effectively – for example, the stresses of seasonal changes.
• Exercise – Numerous research studies confirm it. Virtually any form of exercise, from aerobics to yoga, can act as a stress reliever and mood enhancer, and will also improve your overall health. A win-win-win.
• Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques (NAET) – In some cases, a source of chronic stress may be sensitivities to elements in the environment, which can be identified and treated using NAET.
• Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET) – A mind-body approach to resolving stress reactions. NET can find and remove unresolved stress reactions that trigger a range of chronic physical and behavioral conditions such as body pains, headaches, anxiety, and depression.
• Deep Breathing Technique – A particular breathing technique, common to some Reiki practices and many meditation / mindfulness practices, has been shown to stimulate the vagus nerve in a way that slows heart rate and calms the sympathetic nervous system, thereby reducing the physiological impact of stress on the body.

CCHW is here to help you figure out how to alleviate your stress-related symptoms.