The human mind is a complex and mysterious thing. With so many different factors affecting it, it’s no wonder so many of us struggle with mental health issues at one point or another in our lives. These conditions can be difficult to distinguish from one another as they often share very similar symptoms.
Therefore, identifying which condition you may be suffering from can be rather tricky. If you are unable to draw a comparison between depression and anxiety, read on to learn more about the key indicators of both conditions and how they differ from one another.
In this article, we will explore the comparison between depression and anxiety, helping you understand which disorder you may be struggling with. We will also have a look at some of the yoga poses that help with anxiety and depression.
So, without any further ado, let’s get started!
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a feeling of worry or fear that is described as a state of mental and emotional apprehension, disorder or tension resulting from a situation that is thought to be dangerous or threatening. It’s a feeling of unease, often accompanied by physical symptoms such as a rapid heart rate, sweating or trembling.
When people experience anxiety, it’s usually because they’re worried about something in the future or because they’re thinking about something that happened in the past. It can be caused by a specific situation, such as public speaking or a phobia, or it can be general and ongoing.
Anxiety disorders affect a wide range of people, from children to the elderly, and can lead to physical symptoms such as insomnia, muscle tension or problem eating. While short-term feelings of anxiety aren’t unusual, ongoing anxiety that prevents you from leading a normal life could be a sign of an anxiety disorder.
To draw the comparison between depression and anxiety, we need to have a look at the symptoms of each.
Signs of Anxiety in Adults and Children
Feeling overwhelmed
When someone is struggling with anxiety, they may feel like there are too many things happening at once. They might feel like they don’t have enough time to do everything they need to do. They might feel like they don’t have enough time to relax or do things that help them relax.
Having trouble sleeping
Anxiety can make it hard to sleep well. Someone with an anxiety disorder may have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. They may have trouble staying in bed and relaxing. People with anxiety disorders may also wake up too early or have trouble falling back to sleep if they wake up in the middle of the night.
Muscle tension
People with anxiety may feel tightness or tingling in their muscles. They might feel like they have to constantly be moving, such as pacing. They may have a hard time sitting still.
Avoiding situations
Someone with anxiety may avoid places or situations that make them nervous. They may avoid doing things that make them anxious, such as public speaking.
Having trouble concentrating
Anxiety can make it hard to concentrate. Someone with anxiety may feel like their mind is always racing. They may have a hard time concentrating on one task at a time. They may also make careless mistakes because they can’t stay focused.
Always thinking about the future
People with anxiety may think a lot about the future. They may worry about things that haven’t happened yet, like getting sick.
Having trouble getting things done
People with anxiety may have trouble getting things done. They may procrastinate or feel too guilty to do things that they know they should be doing.
What is depression?
Drawing a comparison between depression and anxiety isn’t as easy as it may look.
All people experience sadness from time to time and it is a normal part of life. When sadness is short-term and linked to a specific event, it is known as “depressive disorder”. Depression is a mood disorder that affects your whole body.
It causes intense feelings of sadness, anxiety, and emptiness. It can interfere with your ability to work, sleep, eat, and enjoy formerly pleasurable activities. It can lead to suicide, which is why it is important to know the signs and symptoms of depression in adults and children.
Many people experience depression during some point in their lifetime, usually triggered by a stressful event. The symptoms of this type of depression are usually short-term, lasting only a few days or weeks. When a person has major depressive disorder (MDD), it is a chronic condition that affects his or her daily life.
MDD is characterized by a persistent feeling of sadness known as clinical depression. While it can occur at any age, it most commonly begins in the mid-20s and tends to increase with age.
Signs of Depression in Adults and Children
Mood changes
Mood swings may indicate depression: People with depression may have sudden mood swings that go from tearful to irritable. They might go from feeling very sad to being able to laugh and smile. They may feel very happy one minute, then cry a short time later.
Trouble sleeping
People with depression often have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting enough sleep. They may find that they need to sleep more or less than they used to.
Changes in eating or drinking
Many people with depression eat less, have less energy, and don’t want to do things as often as before.
Fatigue
People with depression often have less energy than usual and may be sleeping more than usual. They may also feel tired even after sleeping for a long time.
Blaming yourself
People with depression may blame themselves for bad things that happen or for things that people do to them. They might tell themselves that they aren’t good enough or that they don’t deserve to be happy.
Increased use of drugs or alcohol
People with depression often drink alcohol or use drugs more than they did before. They may start smoking or drinking more than they should.
Feeling hopeless
People with depression often feel hopeless and have thoughts of suicide. They may think that nothing will get better and that they aren’t worth helping.
Comparison between depression and anxiety
The main comparison between depression and anxiety is the length of time each one lasts. Those suffering from depression will often experience symptoms that last weeks, months, or even years. Anxiety, on the other hand, is generally a shorter-term experience.
People who suffer from anxiety may experience symptoms that last for days or weeks. Another comparison between depression and anxiety is the emotion at the core of each disorder. While depression is characterized by feelings of sadness or grief, anxiety is driven by feelings of worry, fear, and apprehension.
In many cases, both disorders are present in an individual.
How Yog4lyf can help you?
When you listen to yourself, everything comes naturally. It comes from inside, like a kind of will to do something. Try to be sensitive. That is yoga.” ― Petri Räisänen
But in the busy lifestyle, we rarely get time to listen to ourselves! Do we? Giving time to ourselves, our minds, and our bodies seem like an impossible thing. No wonder, cases of anxiety and depression are getting very common.
The daily stress buildup, ongoing events (including the unpleasant ones), and other activities lead to issues such as anxiety and depression!
What could be the solution? Okay, let us spill the beans! Yoga can be your go-to option to give your body and mind much-needed relaxation.
But here are another bunch of questions – where do you learn yoga from, is there any quick way to practice yoga, are there any courses or programs you can enroll in, and so on and so forth?
The answer to all of them is Yog4lyf.
Yog4Lyf is a yoga app that will stay by your side at your fingertips. In the app you have holistic yoga courses for stress and anxiety consisting of yoga asana, pranayama and nog nidra.
Each course comprises of different classes for different days, allowing you to practice a variety of asana throughout the course.
Give it a shot and you will fall in love.
But just to give you a starter, here are 7 yoga poses that can help with issues such as anxiety and depression.
Yoga for Anxiety and Depression – 7 Poses to Ease Your Mind
Tadasana
Tadasana, also known as mountain pose, is a great pose for relieving stress. It’s a pose that involves standing upright with your feet together and your hands by your side.
The main thing to focus on is your breathing. While you breathe in, make sure your stomach is drawn in and your shoulders are relaxed. When you breathe out, try to push your stomach out while relaxing your shoulders. This will help you to feel more relaxed and less stressed out.
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Adho Mukha Svanasana, or downward facing dog, is a challenging pose that will help you to feel less anxious. It will improve your blood flow, opening up your chest and shoulders. It also strengthens your legs, back and arms. All of these things will help to reduce feelings of anxiety.
Additionally, the pose will help to stretch out your spine, elongating your back and releasing tension from your lower back. This pose is excellent for relieving anxiety and tension in the upper back and shoulders.
Virabhadrasana II
Virabhadrasana II, or warrior pose II, is a calming pose that will help you to focus on your breath. To get into the pose, start out by standing on your mat with your feet together. Then, lift your arms over your head, extending them as much as you can. Next, bend your left knee and bring your left foot in towards the right side of your other leg. Try to have your knee either directly above your foot or slightly in front of it.
Finally, lower your arms and take a few deep breaths. While in the pose, focus on your breathing. Make sure your stomach is drawn in and you’re taking long and deep breaths. Focus on releasing any stress or anxiety you have in your body as you breathe out. This pose is great to help you to focus and calm your mind.
Halasana
Halasana, or the plow pose, is an excellent pose for anyone who is having trouble sleeping due to anxiety or depression. It will help to realign your spine and relax your muscles, making it easier to fall asleep.
The pose also stretches out your shoulders, making it easier to relieve any stress and tension you might be feeling in that area. To get into the pose, start out by lying down on your mat. Then, bend your knees and place your feet near your buttocks. Next, lift your arms over your head and use them to push your back towards the floor. You should feel a stretch in your shoulders as well as your lower back. To come out of the pose, slowly roll yourself up to a seated position.
Ardha Matsyendrasana
Ardha Matsyendrasana, or the spinal twist, is a great pose for easing anxiety and stress. It will help to calm your mind and relieve any tension in your spine and back. To get into the pose, start out by sitting on your mat with your legs straight out in front of you and your hands resting on your knees.
Next, draw your right knee up towards your chest. Then, twist your upper body to the left and place your right knee on the mat behind you, keeping your spine as straight as possible. Finally, try to rest your right elbow on the mat beside you and use your left hand to hold your right knee in place. To come out of the pose, simply twist your upper body to the right and place your right knee back on the mat beside you.
This pose is excellent for both anxiety and stress. It’s a gentle pose that can be done by anyone. It’s an excellent yoga pose for beginners.
Chair pose
This pose will help bring your attention to your breath, a key component of most stress-reduction techniques. To start, sit on the floor with your legs crossed, either in a full lotus position or with your legs in a simple cross-legged position, with your knees bent and your feet on the floor.
Place your hands on your knees and take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Close your eyes and focus on the feeling of your breath as it moves in and out through your nostrils. After several minutes, shift your attention to your feet and feel the weight of your body there.
Cat-Cow Stretch
This pose is meant to open up and relax your body while also shifting your attention away from your thoughts. Start on your hands and knees with your spine in a neutral position and your knees below your hips. As you breathe deeply, slowly shift your hips forward, round your back, and look down at the ground, then slowly return to a neutral position and look up at the ceiling.
This movement will help reduce anxiety by taking your attention away from your thoughts, much like the chair pose.
Half Tiger Fist Pose
This pose is meant to open up your chest and stretch your arms and shoulders, which can get tense when you’re feeling stressed. Start on your hands and knees, with your spine in a neutral position and your knees below your hips. Shift one leg forward and one leg back and bend your elbows.
Place your palms on top of each other so that your knuckles are facing out. Squeeze your shoulders down and away from each other and hold the pose for at least 30 seconds. This pose is meant to stretch out your shoulders and open up your chest, bringing a feeling of relaxation and calm.
Conclusion
Hope this article has justified itself in drawing a comparison between depression and anxiety.
Yoga is an ancient practice that has been shown to improve mental health by bringing balance to our lives and reducing stress and anxiety.
Even if you have little experience with yoga or any other kind of exercise program, there are some simple poses that will help reduce your depression and anxiety almost immediately. If you have anxiety or depression, yoga can be a great tool to use in your self-care routine. Start with these three poses, and then feel free to explore other asanas that can help with your mental health.