The Difference Between Anxiety and Depression

Both depression and anxiety are common mental health issues, but they often get confused when the person isn’t aware of the specific symptoms that relate to each. Put simply, depression is a low mood that can make you feel sad and hopeless, and it can last for weeks, months or even years if left untreated. Anxiety, however, can cause you to feel nervous and on edge and make you worry excessively. It is not uncommon to suffer from both conditions at the same time.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of anxiety

• Feeling nervous
• Feeling agitated
• Worrying
• A sense of fear
• Shakiness
• Feeling out of control
• Change in sleep patterns

Symptoms of depression

• Lack of self-confidence
• Feeling sad
• Feeling hopeless
• Tiredness and lethargy
• Lack of interest in your usual activities
• Wanting to harm yourself
• Change in appetite 
• Change in sleep patterns
• Difficulty concentrating

How to relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression

Whether you suffer from anxiety, depression or both, it’s important to seek medical help if your symptoms persist or get worse over time. Make sure you discuss all your symptoms so that a medical professional can diagnose you correctly and choose the right course of action. They might suggest one-to-one counselling, medication or a combination of both.

However, there are various things you can do yourself in the meantime to ease your symptoms.

Exercise

Regular exercise offers many benefits and has been found to improve both physical and mental health. In a study published by the National Library of Medicine, it states that “Aerobic exercise, including jogging, swimming, cycling, walking, gardening, and dancing, have been proved to reduce anxiety and depression. These improvements in mood are proposed to be caused by exercise-induced increase in blood circulation to the brain and by an influence on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and, thus, on the physiologic reactivity to stress.” Exercise can also have a positive impact on your self-confidence.

Relaxation

There are several types of relaxation activities that can significantly reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression including yoga, meditation and breathing exercises. Even if you only manage to spare 5 – 10 minutes a day where you let yourself totally relax, you’ll begin to see a gradual improvement in your mental wellbeing.

Eat a healthy diet

Eating a balanced and nutritious diet can help reduce feelings of depression and anxiety. Foods such as nuts and seeds, fruit and vegetables, white meat and fish not only boost your energy levels, but they can also boost your mood. Try to avoid sugary foods, alcohol, caffeine and processed foods which can destabilise your mood.

Talk to someone

Although you might not necessarily feel like opening up to people when you are feeling anxious or depressed, talking with a close friend or family member can have a huge impact on your wellbeing. It’s important to speak with someone that you trust and who has your best interests at heart. You might be surprised at how supportive they are and even by just offering a listening ear, it can relieve some of your symptoms. Alternatively, reach out to a health professional such as a GP or professional therapist.

Further information

For more about depression and some specific types of anxiety, check out our free booklets:

• Understanding & Managing Social Anxiety – A Workbook and Guide >
• Understanding Health Anxiety >
• Understanding and Managing Depression – A Workbook and Guide >

We also have booklets on wide range of other topics related to mental health and wellbeing. You can view our full range of booklets here >