With the way the world is, most of us are no stranger to feelings of anxiety.

According to research, the UK has seen an “explosion” in anxiety over the past decade, with the Covid-19 pandemic, financial crash, austerity, Brexit, climate change and social media blamed for massive rises in the condition.

While it looks and feels different for every person, we often experience chest tightness, clenched muscles, tension headaches and rushes of heat when we feel anxious. The same also goes for when we feel angry.

So what is the link between two of the most natural and common human responses? And how can we learn to navigate both of them in a healthy way?

“Anxiety and anger share many similarities, making it easy to confuse the two,” Dee Johnson, therapist at Priory Hospital Chelmsford, tells Stylist.

“Physically, both can present similarly aggressive traits. You might appear flushed in the face, have tense muscles, rapid breathing, increased heart rate, sweating, hypervigilance, insomnia, agitation or bowel disturbance. On the other end of the scale, you might become quieter, avoidant or withdrawn. All of the above characteristics are consistent with anxiety and anger.”

Anxiety and anger are linked, which explains why they can feel so similar. Here’s how to healthily navigate both