Anxiety and stress are co-occurring in many ways. Feeling anxious can mean an increased heart rate, inability to focus, and sometimes feeling like your heart skipped a beat. There can be various stressors that increase anxiety symptoms. These can be internal and external stressors.
Internal Stressors are sources of stress that are inside us. These can be;
- Nutritional Status
- Attitudes
- Thoughts
- Feelings of anger, worry and/or fear
- Anticipation
- Imagination
- Memory
- Overall health and fitness levels.
External stressors are sources of stressors that we are aware of around us. These can include;
- Trauma caused by life threatening events
- Life experiences
- Simple daily hassles
Since internal stressors come from inside of us, they determine our body’s ability to deal with and respond to external stress-inducing factors.
Therefore, it is important to be able to manage internal sources of stress first.
Chinar Mehta is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) supporting individuals experiencing anxiety and stress. Contact her to book a free 15-minute phone consultation or visit her website here;