Health - Wellness
What's The Difference Between Fear And Anxiety?
By NIKO VERCELLETTO
While fear and anxiety may feel like the same emotion, they are not identical. Fear is one of the six basic human emotions, and it’s a signal of danger or a threat you're confronted with in your environment. While fear can accompany anxiety, anxiety is a response to an emotional state, rather than a response to the environment, meaning it can happen regardless of whether you’re in a dangerous situation or not.
Symptoms of anxiety often include increased heart rate, chest pain, chills, dizziness, excessive sweating, headaches, muscle aches or tension, ringing in the ears, and trembling, among others. Fear’s symptoms are similar, including faster heart rate, shortness of breath, sweating, trembling, and digestive discomfort.
While both of these mental states can cause a great deal of distress, rest assured you can get help and take steps to alleviate them. Finding a doctor or mental health professional who specializes in treating anxiety disorders can be a great first step, and they may be able to prescribe certain medications, recommend lifestyle changes, or refer you to a therapist.