The Difference Between Anxiety vs. Fear

While we often use anxiety and fear interchangeably, they are not the same thing. The two experiences are related and often share many of the same emotional and physical symptoms, but there are important differences that make them distinct—and understanding what makes them different can play an important part in how you deal with them.

Even though symptoms commonly overlap, a person's experience with these emotions differs based on context. Fear relates to a known or understood threat, whereas anxiety follows from an unknown, expected, or poorly defined threat.

Anxiety vs. Fear: How to Tell the Difference

Fear and anxiety both produce a similar stress response. However, many experts believe that there are essential differences between the two. These differences can account for how we react to various environmental stressors.

These bodily changes result from our inborn fight-or-flight stress response critical to survival. Without this stress response, our mind wouldn't receive the alerting danger signal and our bodies would be unable to prepare to flee or stay and battle when faced with danger.

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a diffuse, unpleasant, vague sense of apprehension. It's often a response to an imprecise or unknown threat such as the uneasiness you might feel walking down a dark street alone.

Your uneasiness in this situation would be caused by anxiety related to the possibility of something bad happening, such as being harmed by a stranger, rather than an immediate threat. This anxiety stems from your mind’s interpretation of the possible dangers.

What Is Fear?

Fear is an emotional response to a known or definite threat. If you're walking down a dark street, for example, and someone points a gun at you and says, “This is a robbery," then you'd likely experience a fear response. The danger is real, definite, and immediate. There's a clear and present object of the fear.

Fear can cause anxiety, and anxiety can cause fear. However, the subtle distinctions between the two give you a better understanding of your symptoms. It can also help you and your doctor decide which treatment strategies will be the most effective.

What Anxiety and Fear Feel Like

Anxiety and fear can lead to many uncomfortable somatic (physical) sensations. Some of the most common physical symptoms of anxiety include:

• Accelerated heart rate
• Chest pain
• Cold chills or hot flushes
• Depersonalization and derealization
• Dizziness or feeling faint
• Excessive sweating
• Feeling like you're going insane
• Headaches
• Muscle pain and tension
• Numbness or tingling 
• Ringing or pulsing in ears
• Shaking and trembling
• Shortness of breath
• Sleep disturbances 
• Tightness felt throughout the body, especially in the head, neck, jaw, and face
• Upset stomach or nausea

The physical and emotional sensations associated with fear include:

• Racing heartbeat
• Sweating
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea 
• Dry mouth 
• Trembling
• Chills
  

What Causes Anxiety and Fear?

Fear often stems from the threat of potential harm, whether that threat is physical, psychological, or emotional. While we often think of fear as a negative, distressing state, it can also have benefits.

When you encounter a threat, it triggers a response in your amygdala, a brain structure that plays a key role in the body's fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response. This leads to a cascade of reactions that prepare your muscles to respond and trigger the release of stress hormones.

Related Mental Health Conditions

Unhealthy anxiety levels can cause distress and interfere with your ability to function in your daily life. Fear and anxiety are associated with many mental health conditions. These feelings are most often linked to anxiety disorders, such as:

• Specific phobias
• Agoraphobia
• Social anxiety disorder
• Panic disorder
• Separation anxiety disorder

Other conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can also cause feelings of anxiety.

Approximately 20% of U.S. adults experience symptoms of an anxiety disorder during any given year, and women tend to experience these symptoms more often than men. Because of this, experts now recommend that all women over the age of 13 should be screened for anxiety conditions.

Treatments for Anxiety and Fear

Your doctor will consider your current symptoms and your medical history to help determine a possible cause of your fear and anxiety. From there, expect your doctor to make a diagnosis or refer you to a specialty treatment provider for further assessment.

Treatments for anxiety and fear often involve:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT is a first-line treatment that involves addressing the underlying negative thought patterns that contribute to feelings of fear and anxiety. A therapist will help you work on new ways of thinking and behaving so that you can react with less fear and anxiety.
• Exposure therapy: This form of CBT involves engaging in activities you might typically avoid because of your fear and anxiety. With gradual exposure, your feelings of fear will gradually lessen.
• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT): This approach helps you accept negative thoughts and feelings without trying to push them away. It incorporates mindfulness practices and can help you feel calmer and less distressed by difficult emotions.
• Medication: Medications can also help relieve anxiety and may be particularly helpful when combined with therapy. Commonly prescribed anti-anxiety medications include antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and beta-blockers.

Coping With Anxiety and Fear

In addition to getting help from your doctor or therapist, there are also strategies you can use on your own to help manage your feelings of anxiety and fear. 

The more often you engage in activities you fear, the less frightening they become. Over time, you'll become more comfortable and able to face the challenge without experiencing fear.

The following strategies can also be helpful:

• Move your body: Research has shown that regular physical activity can help reduce anxiety symptoms.
• Practice mindfulness and meditation: These strategies can help you live more in the moment without worrying about the past and future.
• Try relaxation techniques: Using progressive muscle relaxation and guided visualization can help you feel calmer and more in control when dealing with stressful situations.
• Utilize deep breathing: When you feel fearful and anxious, your breathing tends to become shallow and rapid, worsening feelings of fear. Practicing deep breathing, on the other hand, can activate the body's relaxation response, which can calm you down and help you feel less fearful.