How is anxiety different from stress? What are the symptoms of anxiety that present themselves in your body? What does anxiety feel like? 

When you feel anxious and overwhelmed, and your thoughts are racing, it can feel like you are immersed in a huge wave where all that you experience is one big emotion, all over. 

Today, we’re talking about what you can do when you notice anxiety is present, and how you can best bring yourself back to calmness. 

In This Episode:

• Anxiety versus stress 

• Practice bodily awareness 

• How to find your calm baseline 

• Notice your self-talk 

Anxiety versus stress 

One of the main differences between anxiety and stress is that anxiety has a high-energy feeling that sets you buzzing or feeling like you’re unable to stop or slow down. 

On the other hand, stress can have a more low-energy feeling that leaves you experiencing mental, physical, and even emotional fatigue. 

Practice bodily awareness 

Be body aware, and learn how to pay attention to how you feel. Are your shoulders pulled up to your ears? Is your chest tight? Is your breathing shallow? Are your legs bouncing or shaking? Do you experience butterflies in your stomach? 

Consider the pace of your life. Are stress and anxiety often present in your day? 

How to find your calm baseline 

• Find a quiet moment to sit still with yourself 

• Turn your attention inward to how you feel and your thoughts 

• Notice what your body feels like 

The more that you practice being present and self-aware of your bodily sensations, the better you will become at identifying when you feel anxious and when you feel calm. 

Then, if you do begin to feel anxiety rising, you can take a moment to be present with yourself and breathe deeply, and stop that anxiety from building any further. You can then bring yourself back to that calm baseline. 

Notice your self-talk 

Your self-talk is going on in the background even when you are not aware of it, and it has a big influence on how to approach your day and the tasks before you. 

Are you perhaps unintentionally upsetting yourself more by talking poorly about yourself, or ramping up the intensity of what’s ahead of you? Noticing this, and taking steps to change it, is a very powerful step to reduce anxiety. 

Your inner dialogue and self-talk are constantly happening. 

So, if you’re not noticing your self-talk, you may accidentally be taking yourself down an unhelpful road which may be making it worse instead of better. 

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Resources Mentioned and Useful Links: 

Ep 01: What is Anxiety? 

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Read our blog about anxiety