Anxiety is a physical feeling of fear or panic that we have in response to something that threatens the safety of ourselves or people we care about. It is normal and natural for you to feel a degree of anxiety or stress, for example, over exams. For most people, once the situation has passed, they feel better and calm down. If the situation has passed, but the feelings of fear or panic remain or get stronger and start to affect daily living, then that is when anxiety can become a problem.
Some of the symptoms you may have include:
feeling frightened, nervous or panicky all the time
difficulty sleeping
poor appetite
lack of concentration
feeling tired and irritable
palpitations (when the heart feels like it is racing)
a dry mouth
trembling or shaking
feeling faint
stomach aches, cramps or diarrhoea
Your heart rate increases
Pumping blood into your muscles so they are prepared for action. This is called a 'fight or flight response' – your body prepares to face danger (fight), run away (flight) or freeze.
Your mind becomes alert
Helping you focus but can also mean that you over-analyse things.
Your breathing gets faster
Allowing your bloodstream to carry oxygen to your arms, legs and lungs.
You start to sweat more
Controlling your body temperature.
You can feel dizzy
Meaning you can feel light-headed. Your blood is carrying more oxygen to your arms, legs and lungs, so there is less oxygen being sent to the brain.
Your muscles tense up
Creating power but it can also cause shaking, which is normal.
Your liver releases sugar
Providing quick energy but it can also make you feel fidgety.
Less important things slow down
Making it harder for your body to digest food or produce saliva. This is what causes you to have a dry mouth, have a feeling like butterflies in your stomach or feel sick when you’re nervous.
Everybody experiences anxiety of some sort. Feeling anxious is a normal part of everyday life. However, if you start to feel like your anxiety is stopping you from doing things you love and enjoying life, it's a good idea to visit your doctor. You can read more about different types of anxiety below and the self-help materials you can use.
Exam stress - Exam stress can affect anyone. You might be worried about doing enough revision, getting the grades you need or feel pressure from your school or family. Take a look on Childline's website for some handy tips on how to cope with exam stress.
Generalised anxiety – worrying about everything. Find out more about how to cope with anxiety.
Health anxiety - worrying about our own health in the future. You can check for symptoms for health anxiety on the NHS website here.
Panic Disorder – worrying that something bad will happen to us imminently. Childline have some helpful tips on how to cope with a panic attack here.
Phobias – worry about a specific thing (such as needles, blood or dogs). If you need help coping with a phobia, take a look on Mind's website.
Relationship stress – worrying about starting a relationship, asking someone out or worrying if your relationship is healthy. Read more about relationships on Childline's website.
Stress at home – worrying about living in care, stepfamilies, parents in prison, being adopted and more. You can find some information about coping with family relationships here.
However, some anxiety problems last longer than a few days and start to affect your everyday life. If this is the case, contact your Primary Mental Health Worker or visit your doctor.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - worries that something bad will happen unless we do things in a certain way (such as rituals, cleaning or thinking certain thoughts in a certain order)
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – when memories about something bad that has happened to us in the past intrude on our day to day life and leave us feeling scared
Selective mutism – the inability to speak in certain social situations, such as with classmates at school or to relatives you do not see very often.
Separation anxiety – worries about being away from main caregivers
CAMHS Resources - This site was created for young people, carers and professionals to pool together lots of helpful resources from across the internet that are available to help support mental health and well-being.
onyourmindglos - Helpful guides about emotional health
Get Self Help - This website provides CBT self-help and therapy resources, including worksheets and information sheets and self-help mp3s
Centre for Clinical Interventions - Self-help resources for mental health problems
Dragonfly - Free booklet about how to deal with anxiety, which can be given to students and/or parents/carers.
Autism NI - Anxiety resource pack
Social Anxiety Self-Help - www.getselfhelp.co.uk
All Birds Have Anxiety by Kathy Hoopmann
Dare: The New Way to End Anxiety and Stop Panic Attacks by Barry McDonagh
Lancashire Libraries - Reading Well for Young People – Shelf Help
Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel By Changing the Way You Think by Dennis Greenberger and Christine A Padesky
No worries by Katie Abey
Outsmarting Worry (An Older Kid's Guide to Managing Anxiety) by Dawn Huebner
Starving the Anxiety Gremlin by Kate Collins-Donnelly
The Anxiety and Stress Solution Deck: 55 CBT & Mindfulness Tips & Tools by Judith Belmont
The Big Book of Blob Trees by Pip Wilson
The Charlie Waller Memorial Trust book recommendations and book club
The Huge Bag of Worries by Virginia Ironside and Frank Rodgers
What to Do When… You Worry Too Much: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Anxiety by Dawn Huebner
What to Do When… Your Brain Gets Stuck: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming OCD by Dawn Huebner
HeadSpace is a personal guide to health and happiness. Designed to help you focus, breathe, stay calm, perform at your best, and get a better night’s rest through the life-changing skills of relaxation, meditation and mindfulness
Calm is an app for meditation and sleep. Designed to help lower stress, lessen anxiety, and assist in a more restful sleep with guided meditations, Sleep Stories, breathing programs, masterclasses and relaxing music
7 cups is a free anonymous emotional support and counselling from trained active listeners.
SAM – Self-help for Anxiety Management is an app that offers a range of self-help methods for people who are serious about learning to manage their anxiety
WellMind is a free NHS mental health and wellbeing app designed to help you with stress, anxiety and depression. The app includes advice, tips and tools to improve your mental health and boost your wellbeing
MindShift uses strategies based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help you learn to relax and be mindful, develop more effective ways of thinking, and use active steps to take charge of your anxiety
Insight Timer is guided meditations and talks led by the world's top meditation and mindfulness experts, neuroscientists, psychologists and teachers from Stanford, Harvard, the University of Oxford and more
Clear Fear is developed by a clinician co-collaboratively with young people, Clear Fear uses a Cognitive Behavioural framework to help you change anxious thoughts and emotions, alter anxious behaviours and calm fear responses
Stress Heads (The Mix) is an app to help deal with stress by getting advice and dealing with all kinds of life stress, from exam pressure to money problems
Worrinots provides children with a platform that they can use to communicate their worries, fears and anxieties
Chill Panda is an app designed to help with anxiety, managing worries and improving wellbeing for primary school-aged children
Smiling Mind is a unique tool developed by psychologists and educators to help bring balance to your life.
Think Ninja is an app specifically designed to educate 10-18 year olds about mental health, emotional wellbeing and to provide skills young people can use to build resilience and stay well.
Anxiety UK - Covers advice and guidance about all different types of anxiety
Childline - Information and advice
Kooth - Free, safe and anonymous online support for young people, accredited counsellors for mental health needs
Mind - Mental health charity providing guidance and support
No Panic - National organisation with information about care and support for sufferers of panic attacks, phobias, anxiety, neurosis, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Generalised Anxiety Disorder
Samaritans - Mental health charity providing support and guidance to all
The Mix - online group chat/discussion boards supporting children and young people with a variety of mental health issues
Young Minds - UK charity fighting for children and young people's mental health
Watch videos in our anxiety and stress playlist on our YouTube channel.
However you're feeling, it can be great to express yourself and do things you enjoy. Take your mind off things with games, finding new ways to handle your emotions.