UNDERSTANDING STRESS AND ANXIETY

Young people tend to misplace stress and anxiety, often understanding both of their symptoms only as anxiety. We need to understand the difference between them to be able to cope with them.

Stress is a physiological and psychological response triggered by external demands or perceived threats. It activates the body’s “fight or flight” response, leading to increased heart rate, muscle tension, and heightened alertness. While stress can serve as a motivator in certain situations, such as preparing for an important exam or meeting deadlines, prolonged exposure to stress without adequate recovery can negatively affect both mental and physical health.

Anxiety, on the other hand, is more than just a response to external stressors. It is a continuous state of worry or fear that can persist even when no immediate threat is present. Unlike stress, which typically subsides once the challenge is addressed, anxiety tends to linger and can interfere with daily life. People with anxiety often experience excessive rumination, difficulty concentrating, and a sense of unease that may not be linked to any specific situation.

Both stress and anxiety can manifest in similar ways, including difficulty sleeping, irritability, and restlessness. However, chronic anxiety can also lead to long-term emotional distress and physical symptoms such as digestive problems, headaches, and rapid heartbeat. While occasional stress is a normal part of life, recognizing when stress transitions into chronic anxiety is crucial for seeking appropriate interventions.

Just as stress has different types, anxiety also exists in various forms, each affecting individuals in unique ways. Understanding these types can help identify the right coping strategies and professional interventions when needed.

– Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): This form of anxiety involves excessive, uncontrollable worry about everyday situations, including work, health, or relationships. People with GAD often anticipate disaster and experience symptoms such as restlessness, muscle tension, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating.

– Social Anxiety Disorder: This condition is characterized by an intense fear of social interactions due to a fear of judgment or embarrassment. People with social anxiety often avoid public speaking, meeting new people, or participating in group activities, even when they wish to engage socially.

– Panic Disorder: Individuals with panic disorder experience sudden and intense episodes of fear, known as panic attacks. These attacks can cause a racing heart, chest pain, dizziness, trembling, and shortness of breath, often making individuals feel as if they are losing control.

– Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): OCD is marked by persistent, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) that cause anxiety, leading to repetitive behaviors (compulsions) aimed at reducing distress. Common compulsions include excessive hand washing, checking behaviors, or counting rituals.

– Phobia-Related Disorders: A phobia is an intense, irrational fear of a specific object or situation, such as heights (acrophobia), enclosed spaces (claustrophobia), or flying (aviophobia). These fears can lead to avoidance behaviors that interfere with daily life.

– Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): PTSD can develop after exposure to a traumatic event, such as an accident, violence, or natural disaster. Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, heightened anxiety, and emotional numbness. Therapy and structured interventions are often needed for PTSD management.

Depression becomes a crisis when it begins to endanger a young person’s safety—whether through self-harm, suicidal thoughts, or behavior that risks their wellbeing or that of others. At this point, intervention must be immediate. Mental health professionals use the term crisis to describe situations where there is a clear and present risk. In youth work, being able to recognize signs—talk of hopelessness, sudden calmness after distress, withdrawal from previously meaningful relationships—can be life-saving. Crisis response requires a calm, non-judgmental presence and access to professional support services.

Youth workers are not expected to diagnose or treat depression. But their role is vital. Creating spaces where emotions are named and normalized is one of the most powerful forms of early intervention. Promoting mental health literacy—is increasingly recognized as a necessary competency in youth work. It empowers not only the youth workers themselves, but the young people they engage with.

We invite you to keep a comprehensive approach when trying to understand the young person in front of you, and to use the multi-layered knowledge our platform provides you with. In case you are not sure that your theoretical knowledge is enough, you can always implement some activity which will help you open up the group of young people you work with – for this, you can always access our activities recommendations, at the end of each complete section.