Stress or Anxiety - Know the Difference?

Have you ever found yourself feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or on edge—and you weren’t even sure why?

You might have thought, “I’m just stressed,” only to realize later… it wasn’t just stress. It was something deeper, something stickier.

It was anxiety

👉 Stress and anxiety are not the same. But they often show up looking incredibly similar. Let’s break it down…

Stress

• Is a response to a specific external trigger (a deadline, an argument, traffic...).

• Usually disappears once the situation is resolved.

• Can even be helpful—short-term stress can increase focus and performance.

• Tends to be acute and situational.

• Becomes a problem if it is chronic.

Anxiety

• Is internal. It often lingers long after the stressor is gone—or shows up even when nothing is wrong.

• May feel like worry, dread, or a sense of doom you can’t explain.

• Comes from unprocessed emotion, belief systems, or energy blocks.

• Feels chronic, vague, and hard to shake.

Stress is like a big boulder rolling toward you—you dodge it, and it’s over.

Anxiety is like a cloud that settles over you. It whispers things like:

“Something’s wrong.”

“You’re not safe.”

“You should be doing more.”

Even when nothing appears to be wrong, it feels like something is.

Why this matters:

If you don’t know what you’re feeling, it’s harder to release it.

Stress may need a nap or a boundary.

Anxiety needs a deeper look—a release of what’s been stuck, hidden, or avoided.

Both are real. But anxiety tends to be invisible. And for many women, it’s been with us so long… we don’t even recognize it anymore.

Now that you know the difference between stress & anxiety, let's look at how anxiety shows up.

Stay tuned...