What is the difference between anxiety and depression?
When looking at the difference between anxiety and depression, a distinction can be made that depression causes feelings of sadness and hopelessness and anxiety creates feelings of nervousness and worry. With that said, let’s also consider that how you feel may be triggered by both past/future events and how you feel about those events. Both anxiety and depression prevent one from living in the present. Let’s look at both the clinical definitions as well as consider a philosophical perspective that might put things in perspective.
The American Psychological Association, describe anxiety as “an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure”.
The American Psychiatric Association states: “depression negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act, and causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed”.
Taking another viewpoint, we can look to the founder of philosophical Taoism and author of the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu, who states…
“If you are depressed you are living in the past.
If you are anxious you are living in the future.
If you are at peace you are living in the present.”
There are many factors at play that contribute to anxiety and depression, and while they are often grouped together they do have some subtle differences. WIth the recent COVID pandemic, the CDC has published stats showing that during the period August 2020–February 2021, the percentage of adults with recent symptoms of an anxiety or a depressive disorder increased from 36.4% to 41.5%. It is important to note that while there is no cure all, there are tools that might help impact the lives of people navigating issues associated with mental health.
What is anxiety?
The Mayo Clinic states that “people with anxiety disorders frequently have intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations”.
Some symptoms of anxiety include:
- Feeling nervous or tense
- Feeling restless or a sense of impending doom
- Rapid breathing, increased heart rate
- Difficulty concentrating, or trouble with sleep
Some causes of anxiety include:
- Financial, work or job related stress
- Family, relationship, or issues at home
- Past traumas or the death of loved ones
- Genetics and personality characteristics
What is depression?
The National Institute of Mental Health states that “depression is a common but serious mood disorder that causes severe symptoms that affect how you feel, think, and handle daily activities, such as sleeping, eating, or working”.
Symptoms of depression include:
- Feelings of sadness or emptiness
- Loss of interest in activities or things you once enjoyed
- Feeling worthless or hopeless
- Difficulty concentrating, or trouble with sleep
Some causes of depression include:
- Isolation and lack of close relationships or a support network
- Medical conditions or ongoing pain or illness
- Death of a loved one, past traumatic events
- Genetics and personality characteristics
While there are some clear differences between the two, there is also some crossover. There are many activities that can be used to improve how we feel. Here are some that might help you feel better.
Focus your attention on what makes you feel good
Mindfulness: Become more aware about what you allow to be put into your mind and where you focus your attention
Where we put our attention matters. While we go through our day to day lives, there is a constant flow of information coming at us. If you consider your mind as a radio receiver, there are hundreds of stations that are broadcasting thousands of messages you can pick up at any given time. It is important to make a conscious effort to ‘tune into’ the messages and people that help us feel better and ‘tune out’ the ones that make us feel uncomfortable.
In today’s barrage of social media and bad news, it’s hard to tune out those other messages, but it’s not impossible. Try turning off social media for a while, try reading less news, and find other things to fill your mind with. It is very likely that spending too much time on social media is making you feel worse – Harvard Business Review takes a look at the negative effects of social media on mental health.
Practice focusing your attention on positive things like spending time with close friends, and doing things you enjoy.
Activities to help you feel better
There are a host of activities that can help you feel better like: exercise, yoga, meditation, and breathing techniques that can all help to counteract the feelings of anxiety and depression. When those activities alone are not cutting it, some people find that talk therapy can fill that void.
Ketamine Treatment for Anxiety and Depression
Over the past decade Ketamine has been used for the treatment of anxiety and depression. Clinical studies suggest that Ketamine creates new neural pathways in the brain that can help people with anxiety and depression. Oftentimes, patients will find they can reflect on past or current life experiences with some distance, or space, with a new perspective. If you or someone you know is looking for new treatment options for anxiety or depression we are happy to share more information and set up an introduction call.
In conclusion
Activities that help you feel more present can also have an impact on helping you feel better. Lao Tzu states: “ If you are at peace you are living in the present.” Being mindful of where you spend your time and what you allow in, is an important first step. While there are many things that are out of our control, it’s important that we focus our attention on the areas that we can control.
Stats:
An estimated 21.0 million adults in the United States had at least one major depressive episode. This number represented 8.4% of all U.S. adults.
An estimated 19.1% of U.S. adults had any anxiety disorder in the past year.
During August 2020–February 2021, the percentage of adults with recent symptoms of an anxiety or a depressive disorder increased from 36.4% to 41.5%
