Final answer:
The key difference between moderate anxiety and severe anxiety is their impact on daily functioning. Moderate anxiety can serve as a motivating factor, while severe anxiety causes intense, prolonged distress and hinders performance, often requiring professional treatment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The difference between moderate anxiety and severe anxiety lies in the intensity, duration, and impact of the symptoms on a person's daily life. Moderate anxiety can manifest as increased vigilance or nervousness that might improve efficiency and mental sharpness, acting as a motivating challenge without overwhelming the individual. It is often manageable without significantly impairing daily functioning. On the other hand, severe anxiety is characterized by intense, excessive worry and fear that persists for an extended period, often leading to significant distress and disruption in one's life. Symptoms of severe anxiety may include debilitating physical manifestations such as heart palpitations, trembling, dizziness, and may lead to avoidance behaviors that affect personal and professional relationships, as well as daily activities.
For example, a significant increase in arousal, such as that brought on by severe anxiety, can be paralyzing and hinder performance. This is contrary to the optimal level of arousal needed for the best performance, generally associated with moderate anxiety. Moreover, severe anxiety is linked to physical health problems, like cardiovascular events, and can lead to occupational impairment and social withdrawal.
An understanding of the severity of anxiety is also crucial in differentiating between normal stress responses and true anxiety disorders. While occasional feelings of anxiety are common and normal, anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and others, can be debilitating and last for months. These disorders require professional treatment to manage.