If you’re feeling anxious or depressed right now, you’re not alone. Daily pressures can trigger stress, and our reaction to those stressors can set off symptoms of anxiety or depression or both.
In fact, 79 percent of adults say that the pandemic is adding stress to their lives, according to a recent survey by the American Psychological Association (APA).
Normal anxiety is a warning system that alerts us to threats and helps us prepare for challenges. Depression is a major mental illness that negatively changes how we feel, think and act — it’s not just feeling sad. The two share common symptoms. Both anxiety and depression hurt our ability to concentrate, trigger restlessness and fatigue, and disrupt sleep. They share similar biological mechanisms in the brain, and both can be triggered by social stressors, says Vaile Wright, senior director for health care innovation for the APA.
