What's the difference between stress and anxiety — and does the meditation change?

Stress has a clear external source — a deadline, a difficult conversation, financial pressure. Remove the source, and stress typically resolves. Anxiety can persist without a clear trigger and often involves worry about the future rather than present demands. The meditation approach changes significantly. Stress meditation focuses on releasing physical tension, creating mental space, and building capacity to handle the stressor. Anxiety meditation works with the nervous system’s threat response and racing thoughts. If you’re stressed about a specific thing, stress meditation is your tool. If the stress has generalized into free-floating worry, anxiety meditation may be more helpful.