Life comes with stress, no matter how hard we wish it didn’t. However, stress can be a temporary event or last for a lot longer and become problematic. What is the difference between acute stress and chronic stress?

Robles Ranch helps people determine if they have chronic stress influenced by a mental illness and enrolls them in a program to help them feel more relaxed and capable of relieving anxiety. Our staff of compassionate mental health experts helps people open up and heal any past and current triggers for stress so they can move past them.

Contact Robles Ranch today to find out your options for treatment for mental health disorders in a relaxing residential environment.

What Does Stress Feel Like?

Answering the question, “What is the difference between acute stress and chronic stress?” begins by determining what stress feels like.

Common symptoms include:

• Shortness of breath
• Tightness in the chest
• Feeling lightheaded
• Anxiety
• Panic attacks
• High blood pressure
• Muscle tension
• Medical symptoms with no other explanation, like headaches, body aches, nausea, and diarrhea
• Feeling helpless and hopeless
• Using drugs or alcohol to minimize stress levels

What is Acute Stress?

Acute stress is a short burst of feeling stressed out that happens during minor events that can occur at any time.

For example, a person may feel stressed out when they are fighting with someone, rushing to make a flight or other form of transportation, stuck in traffic, or trying to meet a deadline at work or in school. Acute stress spikes and then ends when the situation is over, and the person’s physical and emotional reactions return to normal.

What is Chronic Stress?

Chronic stress lasts longer than acute stress and is the result of one or more ongoing events.

For example, a person may feel stressed out while going through a divorce, looking for a job, dealing with a long-term illness, or after suffering from a traumatic event. Between the pandemic and political strife, the individual may also feel stress as their default setting.

How Do I Know Which Kind of Stress I Have?

While everyone gets anxious from time to time, what is the difference between acute stress and chronic stress?

Acute stress is a temporary condition and passes when the situation resolves itself or the person finds a way to end it quickly. Chronic stress overtakes a person’s life for a long time and makes it difficult to function and relax. A person with chronic stress is much more likely to benefit from attending a licensed program for mental health disorders that teaches people how to resolve stressful events and ease their anxiety.

Acute Stress vs. Chronic Stress: Which One Can Be a Sign of a Mental Health Disorder?

A person who has chronic stress may qualify for treatment from a facility that specializes in helping people with mental illnesses overcome or manage their disorders. People with acute stress can also benefit from attending treatment to help them manage daily stressors in a healthy way.

Common mental health disorders that cause a person to experience bouts of stress and anxiety include:

• Anxiety disorders
• Depression
• Trauma disorders
• Personality disorders
• Schizophrenia spectrum disorders

An initial assessment will be done by a mental health clinician to determine which mental illness a person has. This allows the treatment team to customize a plan that meets the person’s exact needs.

How is Stress Treated?

Mental health disorders that trigger high levels of stress can be treated by choosing the best types of therapies that match each person’s needs.

Popular choices include:

• Animal-Assisted Therapy
• Holistic Therapy
• Inner Child Work
• Psychiatry
• Somatic Therapy
• Family Therapy
• Group Therapy
• Individual Psychotherapy
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
• Biosound Therapy

The use of prescription medications also helps relieve the symptoms of stress. Some people only need to take them for a short time, while others benefit from a long-term approach.

Tips for Reducing Stress 

Many steps to help reduce stress when it arises can be taken, including brief activities and taking the long view through consistent actions.

Try these tips to minimize or eliminate stress:

• Participate in regular exercise
• Eat a healthy diet
• Avoid alcohol and drug use
• Use breathing techniques
• Use grounding techniques
• Write in a journal
• Take short mental health breaks that can include going for a walk, listening to music, or hanging out with a good friend
• Set aside daily downtime to do things like take a long bath, bake, or watch a favorite tv show