Understanding the Difference Between Anxiety and Panic Attacks For Homecare and Professionals
By Deborah L. Borman, JD, LCSW
Deborah L. Borman, JD, LCSW
In today’s high-pressure environment, caregivers are experiencing rising emotional stress. Whether servicing clients directly or managing staff and services, understanding the difference between anxiety and panic attacks can help you support both yourself and others more effectively. Drawing from Aaron T. Beck and colleagues’ foundational work, Anxiety Disorders, and Phobias: A Cognitive Perspective (1985), this article outlines how these emotional experiences differ—and why knowing the distinction matters now more than ever.
Everyday Anxiety: A Growing Underlying Current
Many people are currently experiencing a kind of low-level, persistent anxiety. For caregivers, this anxiety might show up as trouble sleeping, irritability, or a sense of unease when working with a client. For administrators, it may manifest as increased worry over staffing, regulations, or the health and safety of the populations served by the company.
Beck and his co-authors define anxiety as a future-oriented emotional state—a mental and physical response to a perceived threat or danger that may or may not happen. For example, a caregiver who constantly worries about making a mistake, or an administrator who is hyper-focused on funding cuts or regulatory changes.
This kind of anxiety is common in high-responsibility roles and is often sustained by patterns of distorted thinking, such as catastrophizing (“If I miss something, the client could die”) or mind-reading (“My supervisor probably thinks I’m not doing enough”).
While chronic anxiety can be draining, it is also manageable—especially when we understand the nature of the anxiety and challenge the thinking behind it.
Panic Attacks: When Fear Takes Over
Unlike anxiety, which builds gradually, a panic attack is a sudden, intense surge of fear or discomfort that often feels like it comes out of nowhere. Beck and his colleagues describe panic as involving rapid-onset physical symptoms: a racing heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, chest tightness, or a feeling of losing control.
Imagine a staff member who suddenly feels lightheaded and believes they’re having a heart attack. That fear increases their heart rate, which increases their fear, and the cycle spirals into full-blown panic. The danger feels immediate and overwhelming— even if no real threat exists.
In Beck’s cognitive model, panic is driven not just by physical sensations, but by how we interpret those sensations. A flutter in the chest becomes “I’m dying.” A dizzy spell becomes “I’m losing control.” These catastrophic misinterpretations differentiate panic from standard anxiety.
Recognizing the Cycle—and Breaking It
Chronic anxiety and panic can feed off each other. A caregiver who is always worried may become hyper-aware of their body, which can lead to overreacting to minor symptoms—and even trigger a panic attack.
The good news is Beck’s cognitive-behavioral approach emphasizes that these reactions can be unlearned. By challenging distorted thoughts and building tolerance for discomfort, people can gain more control over both anxiety and panic.
Whether a caregiver or support staff, take note of your patterns: Are you always worrying about worst-case scenarios? Do you find yourself feeling exhausted but wired at night? These may be signs of anxiety. If you’ve ever had a moment where you felt like you couldn’t breathe or were about to faint from fear, that may have been panic.
If you are an administrator, creating a culture that acknowledges and addresses mental health is essential. Encourage open conversations, provide access to stress management resources, and consider training in emotional regulation or basic cognitive behavioral techniques.
Final Thought
Emotional experiences are shaped by how we think and interpret the world around us. In a field as vital and emotionally demanding as caregiving, understanding the difference between anxiety and panic—and how to address both—is a powerful step toward a healthier, more resilient workforce.
Deborah L. Borman, J.D., LCSW provides therapy and counseling services in Chicago, Oak Park, River Forest, Forest Park, Riverside, Brookfield, Maywood, Elmhurst, Evanston, and other suburbs. Offerings include telehealth, teletherapy, psychotherapy, psychodynamic therapy, psychoanalytic therapy, cognitive behavior therapy. Specialties include relationships, anxiety, depression, grief, separation, divorce, coping, aging parents, parenting, and career issues.
