What is stress?
Stress is a response to an external cause, such as a tight deadline at work, a challenging exam, or a significant life event like moving to a new place. It is a part of the body's natural fight-or-flight response, designed to help in the response to threats and challenges. Stress can be acute, occurring for a short period, or chronic, persisting over a longer period of time.
Symptoms of stress can be:
- Physical: increased heart rate, muscle tension, headache and fatigue.
- Emotional: irritability, frustration and mood swings.
- Behavioural: changes in appetite, sleep disturbances, and withdrawal from social activities.
While stress can be motivating in small doses, chronic stress can have negative impacts on health.
What is mild anxiety?
Mild anxiety, on the other hand, is more than just a temporary worry or fear, it is often a sustained feeling with no real identifiable trigger. Anxiety often involves excessive, persistent worry and fear that can interfere with daily activities.
Symptoms of mild anxiety can be:
- Physical: dizziness, sweating, rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath.
- Emotional: feelings of dread, apprehension and overwhelming worry.
- Behavioural: avoidance of feared situations, compulsive behaviours and difficulty concentrating.
Key differences between stress and mild anxiety
Stress is typically linked to an external trigger, like work pressure or relationship issues. Mild anxiety often has no clear cause and can persist even after the stressor has been removed.
Stress is generally temporary and subsides once the stressor is resolved, where anxiety can be long-lasting, with no identifiable stressor. Stress can also sometimes be beneficial, motivating individuals to tackle challenges, where mild anxiety is rarely beneficial and often hinders performance and daily functioning.
While stress and mild anxiety share similarities, they are distinct experiences that require different approaches to management. Effective stress management involves identifying the sources of stress and developing strategies to cope with them. Managing mild anxiety often involves a combination of strategies to address the nervous system.
Herb of Gold Stress Ease contains a blend of herbs, including Rhodiola, traditionally used in Western herbal medicine as an adaptogen to relieve the feelings of stress and fatigue.
Herb of Gold Mind Ease contains KSM-66®, an award-winning, full-spectrum extract of Ashwagandha to relieve the symptoms of mild anxiety.
It can be challenging to differentiate between stress and mild anxiety on your own. If you find your symptoms are persistent, overwhelming, or interfering with your daily life, it may be time to seek help from a health professional and develop a treatment plan tailored to your needs.
Always read the label and follow the directions for use.
