While worry is more specific, anxiety is more general.
Worry takes place in our heads; anxiety affects our bodies.
Where worry stimulates problem-solving; anxiety does not.
Worry creates moderate distress; anxiety can create severe distress.
Worry is based more in reality than anxiety is.
Due to its practical origins, worry is more controllable than anxiety.
Worry tends to be more temporary and fleeting than anxiety.
Worry usually doesn't impact work and everyday functioning; anxiety can.
By understanding the differences between anxiety and worry, we are better equipped to handle both of these. You'll notice, for example, that worry is based more on everyday matters of a practical nature. Anxiety, meanwhile, can manifest without reason. Knowing this, we can be more proactive in how we go about settling our affairs – and experience immediate relief.
One important caveat: those with an anxiety disorder (e.g. generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD) often report excessive worry related to life events. If you suffer from an anxiety disorder, hopefully this article will prove beneficial, but you might also choose to seek professional help.
While we can not stop all worry, we can surely limit the frequency and severity of it. The thing is, we would not necessarily want to stop all worry. Indeed, it is possible that, without any concerns, we'd sink into a state of passivity and possibly recklessness.
To state it simply, there's no point in worrying about something outside of your control. We all instinctively know the futility of doing so, yet we do it anyways. For instance, being nerve-racked over something you said to a co-worker isn't something you can control. Settling the issue (if it is something that needs to be discussed or smoothed over) is something you can control.
In short, take action if it's controllable, but relax if it isn't: relax. Failing to do either of these things is bad for your health.
#2 Designate a time to worry.
While scheduled "worry time" may sound strange, it is nonetheless useful. A 2011 study undertaken by researchers at Pennsylvania State University found that a "4-step stimulus control program" helped people control worrisome impulses.
Identify the object of worry.
Come up with a time and place to think about this worry.
If you catch yourself worrying at a time other than your designated worry time, you must make a point to think of something else.
Use your "worry time" productively by thinking of solutions to the worries.
You might have heard the proverb, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop." Regardless of your religious beliefs, there's some truth to this proverb. We experience worry (and anxiety) much more often when focused on our inner world as opposed to something external (say, work or a hobby.) Our mind does the same thing when we're bored or ruminating on something other than what we're doing.
According to research from the Medical Research Council in England, staying occupied can even help those who have experienced a traumatic event. Bob Hirshon, a researcher at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), says, "Keeping your hands and mind busy interferes with storing and encoding visual images." Hirshon was most likely referring to flashbacks to traumatic events.
When it comes to beating stress and worry, exercise again scores some major points. Neuroscience has discovered that exercise boosts brain chemicals associated with attention, drive, happiness, and a sense of wellbeing.