Anxiety is a word that means having experiences of feeling worried, scared or nervous.
As well as having these emotions, people feeling anxious may also have physical (body) feelings such as breathing harder/faster, heart beating faster and sweating or feeling shaky.
We all feel anxious at one time or the other. Anxiety is a normal response to feeling in danger or scared of something, even if the threat is a memory or thought.
It’s common to feel tense, nervous and perhaps fearful at the thought of a stressful event or decision you’re facing – especially if it could have a big impact on you. For example:
- sitting an exam
- going into hospital
- attending an interview
- starting a new job
- moving away from home
- being diagnosed with an illness
For some people these feelings of anxiety and worry can become very strong and last for long periods of time, even when there is no specific cause. If these feelings start to impact on someone’s everyday life such as home life, socialising or school life they might find that they need some support such as from CAMHS.
Here are some tips and tricks to try next time you start to feel worried or anxious:
- Tell someone how you are feeling no matter what your worries are, even if you are worried about doing so. There will be someone who will listen and try to support you.
- Remind yourself that you have been anxious before, that those feelings passed, that you coped and were ok.
- Try activities such as spending time with friends, watching TV, reading, making things and listening to music, to help manage until you feel a bit better.
Information and tools to support you
- ChildLine: a free and confidential support service for children and young people (telephone 0800 1111)
- OCD-UK: support for people affected by OCD
- Young Minds – anxiety and phobias: information and advice for young people about anxiety and phobias
- Visit YoungMinds to try some tips and tricks for when you next start feeling anxious.