Anxiety vs. Fear vs. Panic: How to Tell the Difference
Anxiety, fear, and panic are such similar emotions and experiences that we often assume they’re just the same thing.
But actually they’re different, and knowing the difference can help you communicate better with your doctors, know what information to actually be researching, and hopefully finally find the right strategies to manage your mental health.
Today, I’ll break it down for you, and I put it all together in a chart in case you’re a visual learner like I am.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ANXIETY, FEAR, AND PANIC IS STILL BEING RESEARCHED
Folks are scurrying away in research labs trying to really understand the difference between anxiety, fear, and panic…assuming there really is a difference.
We know certain things are similar between these three ideas and certain things seem to be different, at least as we’ve come to use the words in the mental health world.
Please be aware that because this is something that is actively being researched, there are differing opinions about how these concepts are similar and different, so this is my opinion based on how I interpret the research.
HOW ANXIETY, FEAR, AND PANIC ARE RELATED
Ultimately, I think about anxiety, fear, and panic like this:
Anxiety is the largest, broadest concept. It encompasses and includes fear, which encompasses and includes panic.
Panic is the most specific, whereas anxiety is the most general.
HOW ANXIETY, FEAR, AND PANIC ARE DIFFERENT
Anxiety tends to be obsessed with the future…anticipated problems, “what if”s, and uncertainty fuel it. The focus is on avoiding future problems.
But fear is more about what’s happening right now. But with fear, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a real threat or problem…it could be something in your imagination.
For example, if you hear someone following you, you’ll feel fear. If you look behind you and it was just a kitten…that fear still happened because you perceived that there was something dangerous happening.
With fear, your focus immediately turns to escaping from this immediate life-threatening emergency or protecting yourself from it (fight-or-flight response).
Panic is all about what’s happening just in this moment, and specifically it’s all about the panic symptoms themselves. The primary concern in panic is that you’re dying or going crazy. You can think of panic as very intense fear that is occurring at an inappropriate time.
Anxiety tends to be slower and less intense than fear and panic but lasts longer. It’s a sustained, low-level discomfort, whereas fear surges to activate your fight-or flight response and usually exists in short bursts. Panic has an abrupt surge and usually peaks within 10 minutes and comes right back down.
Anxiety looks like restlessness, edginess, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, and trouble sleeping. And usually a person with anxiety knows that the anxiety itself is causing all those symptoms, and they recognize the symptoms aren’t dangerous or problematic. In fear and panic, the symptoms are more intense than in anxiety — it’s more about heart palpitations, sweating, trembling, shaking, chest discomfort, nausea, dizziness, chills, hot flashes, numbness, tingling, etc. See my post on 20 Signs You Might Be Having a Panic Attack for more details on the symptoms of a panic attack.
With fear, we recognize that the immediate threat or danger is causing that reaction in ourselves. But in panic, we tend to think the symptoms are being caused by a real medical or mental illness.
WELL THAT'S A LOT OF INFO...
This can be sort of confusing, especially when written in paragraph form. So I put it in a handy chart for you to organize it. Grab the chart here for the side-by-side comparison.
HOW TO MASTER ANXIETY WITHOUT MEDICATION
If you’re struggling with anxiety…or fear or panic…it’s time to master it.
Y’all know I love some good concrete coping skills. I live for that stuff.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with taking medication for mental health, and a lot of research tells us that medications + therapy gives us the best results.
If you’re interested in medication, check out my article giving you all the details on anxiety medications.
But if medication isn’t your thing, next week, I’ve got 9 of my personal favorite ways to manage anxiety without medication. Don’t miss it.
Talk to you soon,
Dr. Finch
P.S. Remember, this is education, not treatment. Always consult with a psychologist or therapist about your mental health to determine what information and interventions are best for you. See the disclaimer for more details.
Hayden C. Finch, PhD, is a practicing psychologist in Des Moines, Iowa, dedicated to helping you master your mental health.
