Stress or Anxiety? How Chronic Stress Can Rewire the Brain and What You Can Do About It

[Updated June 2026 – This article has been updated to reflect the ongoing research on how chronic stress impacts the brain, emotions, and contributes to patterns such as overthinking, excessive worry, and catastrophic thinking. It also highlights emerging research on neuroplasticity and how the brain can “rewire” through integrative approaches, such as aromatherapy.]

 

Article Summary

Stress and anxiety are closely connected, but they are not the same. In this article, I discuss how chronic stress can affect the brain, influence emotional resilience, and contribute to patterns such as excessive worry and catastrophic thinking. I also explore the role of neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to change—and share natural approaches that support brain health. These include lifestyle strategies, mind-body medicine, and aromatherapy. You will also be able to access to resources and tools that enhance cognitive function and nervous system regulation. By understanding the relationship between stress, anxiety, and brain function you can develop healthier habits and greater resilience.

 

Table of Contents

• What Is the Difference Between Stress and Anxiety?
• How Stress and Anxiety Affect Mental Health
• Stress, Anxiety, and Catastrophic Thinking
• Neuroplasticity: The Brain’s Ability to Change
• The Role of Aromatherapy and Essential Oils in Rewiring the Brain
• Natural Approaches to Supporting Brain Health
• Summary and Key Takeaways
• A Sustainable and Integrative Approach to Resetting the Brain & Nervous System Response
• Frequently Asked Questions

 

What Is the Difference Between Stress and Anxiety?

With a majority of the global population experiencing an unprecedented amount of unrelenting stressors from living in a world of uncertainty, many are seeking remedies to soothe their spirit and combat these triggers. It is important to note that dealing with chronic stress and coping with anxiety and other mental health conditions are not mutually exclusive. Although chronic stress has been associated with, and is a risk factor for, anxiety, depression, and other psychiatric disorders, there is a distinction between the two and treatments often differ. (R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R) According to the American Psychological Association:

There’s a fine line between stress and anxiety. Both are emotional responses, but stress is typically caused by an external trigger. The trigger can be short-term, such as a work deadline or a fight with a loved one, or, long-term, such as being unable to work, discrimination, or chronic illness. People under stress experience mental and physical symptoms, such as irritability, anger, fatigue, muscle pain, digestive troubles, and difficulty sleeping.

Anxiety, on the other hand, is defined by persistent, excessive worries that don’t go away even in the absence of a stressor. Anxiety leads to a nearly identical set of symptoms as stress: insomnia, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, muscle tension, and irritability.

A major clinical distinction is that the brains of those with anxiety “neurologically fire” on an ongoing basis. These individuals can experience dread, panic, or fear in any situation, even in circumstances that are supposed to be “enjoyable.” Those who do not have an anxious or depressed brain are able to get back to their set point after a stressful event is over, though some additional natural or conventional coping strategies during and after may be required.  (R, R, R, R)

Previously, I’ve discussed in detail that there are brain processing patterns that are characteristic of individuals diagnosed with a mental health illness. For example, studies have demonstrated that those with psychiatric disorders have different neurotransmitter and neuroendocrine signaling, anatomical and neuroimaging findings on brain scans, and genetic variations than those without diagnoses. (R, R, R, R, R)

What is also pertinent is that there may be a virtual “line in the sand” where long-term stress responses can cause deregulation in brain physiology that can develop into a mental health disorder. This is often in extreme cases, when one is overwhelmed beyond the ability to cope, that psychological imbalances can result.

Why this is especially relevant is that transitional life events, holidays, and current events can prompt additional triggers on top of the burdens of everyday modern life. Furthermore, services that help one to cope with the traumas, including accessing nurturing social support and mental healthcare, is not easily accessible for everyone.

How Stress and Anxiety Affect Mental Health

Scientific evidence is now validating that long-term, chronic stress literally rewires the brain by downregulating neural pathways to the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and enhancing connections to the limbic, emotional brain (amygdala and hippocampus). Due to the concept of neuroplasticity, these patterns can become reinforced to the point that they set someone up to experience a mental health crisis, especially if they had a predisposition to one prior. For those already with a mental health diagnosis, unrelenting stress can exacerbate it.

 

Stress, Anxiety, and Catastrophic Thinking

One of the ways this stress–anxiety overlap shows up in real life is through a pattern known as catastrophic thinking. This occurs when the brain automatically defaults to the worst-case scenario, even when there is limited or no evidence that it will happen. For example, a delayed text may feel like a threat to safety, a physical symptom may immediately trigger fear of something serious, or a challenge or uncertainty may quickly be interpreted as a sign that things will not work out.

From a brain perspective, this is not random. When the nervous system is under chronic stress, it becomes more threat-sensitive. This means the brain is more likely to scan for danger, fill in gaps with negative assumptions, and prioritize survival-based interpretations over neutral or balanced ones.

While this pattern can feel very real in the moment, it is ultimately a learned stress response—not a fixed way the brain works.

 

Neuroplasticity: The Brain’s Ability to Change

Thankfully, the same brain that learns to anticipate threat can also learn new, more adaptive patterns of interpretation and response over time. Our brains adapt to change and novel information by forming new pathways and neural connections. This “rewiring” is necessary for our daily functioning and survival. This is the concept of neuroplasticity, and it can help mitigate the impact of chronic stressors on the brain and aid nervous system regulation.

 

The Role of Aromatherapy and Essential Oils in Rewiring the Brain

When destructive, implicit (subconscious) memories from our past experiences bias our beliefs and/or unconsciously run our lives, we can become dysfunctional in our approach to life. The Aroma Freedom technique (AFT) helps to “pull out” these negative thoughts by creating the “pattern interrupt” discussed above. It incorporates the use of essential oils to stimulate the neurons in our brain to reroute and rewire our thinking away from these unhelpful thought patterns in a precise and calculated manner.

In fact, even with basic applications essential oils have been clinically validated to mitigate stress, support mental and emotional health, and aid with grief. Many essential oils have been found to possess the ability to modulate neurotransmitters, brain wave patterns, psychology, and biochemical responses. For example, lavender oil has been shown to be effective for soothing anxiety in human clinical trials.

This is why I have been promoting the use of essential oils as a modality to help calm the brain and mediate the negative physical, biochemical impacts of today’s stressors. Of course, essential oils aren’t a cure-all for mental health problems, but they offer a holistic approach to brain health and can be used as an adjuvant to conventional psychotherapy and appropriate medical intervention.

 

Natural Approaches to Supporting Brain Health

In a recent article from the Townsend Letter, the author outlines how natural health products (NHPs) can be used to protect the brain from the negative ramifications of excess stress. In the following excerpt, the author describes the ways that NHPs can assist with alleviating a client’s allostatic load (AL) and/or allostatic overload (AO) so they can more effectively adapt:

Similar to pharmaceutical interventions, natural health products (NHPs) can be used to attenuate AL and AO… Many NHPs can be safely integrated with standard approaches or can sometimes be used as an alternative. NHPs can be used to modulate the activity of the PFC and/or limbic system to presumably improve the functional connection of these brain circuits, thereby, assisting the PFC with improved  top-down control and processing, and/or attenuating limbic activity to dampen bottom-up control. NHPs can also mitigate pathophysiological harms from AL and AO, such as high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and other medical problems. 

Information known about pharmaceutical interventions can be extremely helpful when postulating how NHPs assist with improving PFC and limbic functionality and connectivity. The essential aim of a modern treatment strategy is to deconstruct the psychiatric illness in question, then consider a treatment or set of treatments that hypothetically improves or attenuates malfunctioning neurocircuitry by targeting specific neurotransmitters in that circuit, which then relieves symptoms and improves overall functionality.⁹

A Summary on Stress and Anxiety

Many have the misconception that one with anxiety only needs to “calm down” or “relax.” However, when dealing with brain health, it is not that simple. There are many brain factors to consider. Essential oils are my go-to modality to assist with many of these factors, but additional naturopathic and functional medicine therapies are often needed for providing lasting changes in mental and emotional health.

My training in biochemical individuality, personalized medicine, and the naturopathic principles, including treating the root cause, makes me passionate to exquisitely match the individual with the right wellness protocol. This is based on an intimate knowledge of their health history, personality, lifestyle, and our therapeutic relationship, not just a lab value or chief complaint.

If you are struggling with overwhelming stress and/or a mental health crisis, please do seek professional health and also consider additional support with a naturopathic and functional medicine practitioner.

 

A Sustainable and Integrative Approach to Resetting the Brain & Nervous System Response

Modern life places unprecedented demands on the nervous system.

• Constant stimulation.
• Information overload.
• Emotional pressure.
• Busy schedules.
• Insufficient recovery.
• Disconnection from the rhythms that help us recharge.

While we may not be able to eliminate every source of stress, we can learn how to support the body’s ability to adapt, recover, and build resilience.

That is the foundation of the Brain Health Reset Program.

Recognizing not everyone has access to integrative care and may just be looking to optimize their brain health, this program was born.

If you’ve been struggling with brain fog, overwhelm, emotional exhaustion, anxious thoughts, or feeling disconnected from yourself… this program was created for you.

Learn more here. Spaces are limited.

Discover local resources to assist with calming the brain in my Saratoga.com article here.

Mental Health Resources

*If you are experiencing a mental health crisis and/or are suicidal, please seek professional mental health support:

• The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (U.S.) — Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
• Crisis Text Line — Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor
• Lifeline Crisis Chat — Chat online with a specialist who can provide emotional support, crisis intervention and suicide prevention services at www.crisischat.org

 

Other Helpful Resources

Below are some of the highlights of the many free resources on this website:

• Four Essential Oils Blends for Supporting the Mind-Body and Easing Tension
• VIDEO: How Your Brain and Body Suffer with Too Much Stress & Naturopathic Medicine Tips for Calming the Mind and Relieving Overwhelm
• Video Recap: Essential Oils to Ease the Stress & Anxiety of Back to School
• The Importance of Fun, Music, & Play for Mental Health
• Video Recap: Essential Oils for Brain and Mental Health & Soothing Stress
• 10 Natural Ways to Relieve Stress and Calm the Mind-Body During Trying Times
• Video: A Naturopathic Doctor’s Approach to Thyroid Health Using Essential Oils: Video Recap & Additional Resources

 

Additional Supportive Techniques & Tools

• The Tapping Solution, A Technique to Lower Cortisol and Reduce Stress- Podcast interview by Dr. Kara Fitzgerald with Nick Ortner.
• Stress management tips and resources
• My Integrative Medicine Resource Guide for Mental Health

 

If you need more individualized wellness support, please click the links for more information on essential oils or naturopathic consults.