Stress and anxiety: when to get support

What's the difference between stress and anxiety?

Stress is the body's normal response to pressure (a deadline, a move, a difficult season), and it usually eases when the situation does. Anxiety is when worry becomes hard to control, sticks around after the stressor has passed, or shows up without a clear cause, and starts to get in the way of daily life.

Anxiety is also physical, which surprises many people. A racing heart, tight chest, churning stomach, restlessness and disturbed sleep are all common, and they're a frequent reason people first see a GP, sometimes without realising anxiety is behind them.

When is it more than everyday stress?

It may be more than everyday stress if worry is there most days for weeks on end, if it's affecting your sleep, appetite, concentration or relationships, if you're avoiding things you used to manage, or if you're relying on alcohol to get through. Any of these is a good reason to talk to a GP.

Anxiety is one of the most common health conditions in Australia. Most people will either experience it or know someone who has. It also responds well to support, and the earlier that starts, the easier the road back tends to be.

What can you do yourself?

Self-help isn't a substitute for professional support when you need it, but a few everyday foundations make a genuine difference to how stress and anxiety feel:

• Protect your sleep. Poor sleep and anxiety feed each other. Regular sleep and wake times, and a wind-down routine, are a practical starting point. Our guide to trouble sleeping goes deeper.
• Move your body most days. Regular physical activity, even a daily walk, has a well-established effect on mood and anxious feelings.
• Stay connected. Time with people you trust is protective; isolation makes worry louder. Saying "I've been struggling a bit" to one person is often the hardest and most useful step.
• Ease off alcohol. A drink can feel calming in the moment, but alcohol tends to worsen anxiety and sleep over time. Many people notice the difference within weeks of cutting back.
• Give worry a container. Simple practices like slow breathing, writing worries down, or setting aside a short daily "worry time" can stop them running all day.

You don't need to be in crisis to ask for help. "I'm not coping the way I used to" is reason enough.

What is a Mental Health Treatment Plan?

A Mental Health Treatment Plan is a plan prepared with your GP that sets out your goals and the support you'll receive. With one in place, Medicare rebates are available for a number of sessions with a psychologist each calendar year, and your GP reviews the plan with you along the way.

The appointment itself is a longer conversation about how you've been. There's no test to pass and nothing you need to prepare. It's simply the doorway Medicare uses to make psychology support more affordable.

When should you see a GP about stress or anxiety?

See a GP if stress or anxious feelings have lasted more than a few weeks, are affecting your sleep, work or relationships, or just don't feel manageable on your own. You don't need to be in crisis to book. Getting support early tends to make things easier to turn around.

A GP visit is also worthwhile because some physical conditions can look like anxiety, and anxiety can travel alongside low mood or sleep problems. Your GP can look at the whole picture and help you choose the next step that fits.

How Sirius Health can help

At our Chatswood clinic, your GP can listen without judgement, rule out physical causes, and, if it would help, prepare a Mental Health Treatment Plan so you can see our psychology team with Medicare rebates. Because our GPs and psychologist work under one roof, your care stays joined up, and we can speak with you in English, Cantonese or Mandarin.

Sources: healthdirect, Anxiety; Beyond Blue, Anxiety; Services Australia, Mental health care and Medicare.