Stress is your physical response to a threat or danger, which can be real or imagined. Stressors are adverse or demanding circumstances which cause stress. Stress is mediated by the fight or flight response, where your limbic system in the brain sets off your sympathetic nervous system in response to a threat. This signals the adrenal glands to release adrenaline into the bloodstream, and you get increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, muscles tension, high blood pressure, sweating, and increased clotting. Stress supercharges you to fight off or run from the threat.
So stress can occur even when the threats are not predators, such as breaking up with your partner, losing your job, thinking about aging, or having a bad day at work.
So the more you are exposed to stressors, the more stress you may have. Stressors can trigger an anxiety disorder, and stressors can also perpetuate (maintain, prolong) an anxiety disorder. In the end, stress (a physical response) is the end result of stressors (adverse circumstances), which often trigger and perpetuate an anxiety disorder. Therefore, stressors need to be addressed if you want to recover from an anxiety disorder, in addition to thinking more adaptive thoughts and not engaging in avoidant behaviors.
