Anxiety

Anxiety is a normal, human feeling of fear or panic. When we face stressful situations, it can set off our brain’s in-built alarm bell system, which tells us something isn’t right and that we need to deal with it.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a normal, human feeling of fear or panic. When we face stressful situations, it can set off our brain’s in-built alarm bell system, which tells us something isn’t right and that we need to deal with it. Our brain wants the difficult situation to go away, so it makes us feel more alert, stops us thinking about other things, and even pumps more blood to our legs to help us run away.

Most of us worry about things at some stage. It could be about friendships, school or college, exams, or the future, but afterwards we usually calm down and feel better.

But when you’re not in a stressful situation, and you still feel worried or panicky, that’s when anxiety can become a problem.

The symptoms of anxiety can include:

  • Feeling nervous, on edge, or panicky all the time
  • Feeling overwhelmed or full of dread
  • Feeling out of control
  • Having trouble sleeping
  • Low appetite
  • Finding it difficult to concentrate
  • Feeling tired and grumpy
  • Heart beating really fast or thinking you’re having a heart attack
  • Having a dry mouth
  • Trembling
  • Feeling faint
  • Stomach cramps and/or diarrhoea/needing to pee more than usual
  • Sweating more than usual
  • Wobbly legs
  • Getting very hot

If you experience any of these symptoms above, it doesn’t mean you definitely have an anxiety problem. But if any of them are affecting your everyday life, it’s a good idea to tell someone you trust about how you’re feeling.

There are different ways to treat anxiety and you can feel better.

Where can I go for help?