A lot of people mistake worry for anxiety. However these two feelings are completely different. Although they are different, they can be associated with one another. Sometimes worry and anxiety can be difficult to differentiate. Guy Winch Ph.D., a contributor writer for Psychology Today, says there are 10 crucial differences between worry and anxiety.
- We tend to experience worry in our heads and anxiety in our bodies
- Worry tends to be specific while anxiety is more diffuse
- Worry is verbally focused while anxiety includes verbal thoughts and mental imagery
- Worry often triggers problem solving but anxiety does not
- Worry creates mild emotional distress, anxiety can create severe emotional distress
- Worry is caused by more realistic concerns than anxiety
- Worry tends to be controllable, anxiety much less so
- Worry tends to be a temporary state but anxiety can linger
- Worry doesn't impact professional and personal functioning while anxiety does
- Worry is considered a normative psychological state while anxiety is not
Click here to learn more about the difference between worry and anxiety.