Anxiety
What is anxiety
Anxiety is when you feel scared, worried or panicky about something. It’s a normal human feeling and your body’s natural response to stress or danger. We all feel anxious from time to time and the feeling usually passes once we feel safe or solve the problem that was causing the anxiety. Feeling some anxiety can even help you to stay focused and achieve more when working to a deadline or competing in a competition. Anxiety can become a mental health problem if it impacts your ability to live your life as fully as you want to.
Like all animals, human beings have evolved ways to protect us from danger. When we feel under threat our bodies react by releasing certain hormones, which can:
- make us feel more alert, so we can act faster
- make our hearts beat faster, quickly sending blood to where it’s needed most.
After we feel the threat has passed, our bodies release other hormones to help our muscles relax. This can sometimes cause us to shake.
This is commonly called the ‘fight, flight or freeze’ response – it’s something that happens automatically in our bodies, and serves a purpose for us.
All sorts of things can cause anxiety. Sometimes it has a clear trigger (like preparing for an exam), but other times it can feel like it comes out of nowhere. Some people might feel it in specific situations or about particular areas of our life such as health, going out, open spaces, or about life in general. The cause of your anxiety can also change over time.
Anxiety looks and feels different for everyone. We might notice anxiety in:
Our bodies
- stomach problems, such as pains, feeling sick or diarrhoea
- heart beating really fast
- fast, shallow breathing
- feeling light-headed, dizzy or faint
- grinding your teeth
- shaking or trembling
- sweating more than usual
Our feelings
- feeling nervous, on edge and unable to relax
- feeling overwhelmed
- feeling like something bad is going to happen
- feeling out of control
- feeling tired and grumpy
- needing reassurance
- worrying you’ve upset someone
- feeling self-conscious
Our behaviour
- finding it difficult to concentrate
- eating more or less than usual
- needing the toilet more
- fidgeting or feeling tense
- problems sleeping
- appearing short tempered
- avoiding anxiety-provoking situations
- withdrawing from daily activities and social life
These physical symptoms are safe but can be really scary if we don’t know why we are having these changes in our body. Sometimes people can become anxious about these physical symptoms, worrying there might be something bad happening. This is called a panic attack.
Related to Anxiety
Advice to help me
There are things you can do to help with these types of thoughts or feelings such as:
Speak to someone you trust and who cares about you and let them know how you are feeling. You might not always know why you are feeling this way, but knowing someone is aware and there for you can help.
Try and be in the moment: If you find your mind running away from you or you are spending a lot of time worrying about things that aren’t necessarily in front of you, finding something to ‘bring you into the moment’ can help to interrupt those thoughts. You could try things that help you focus your attention on something else, such as doing something creative, listening to music, using a fidget toy, finding something around you to focus on, or meditating. Grounding exercises, like 5-4-3-2-1, can help us manage worries.
Breathing exercises to help to slow down your heart rate when feeling anxious. Try laying or sitting in a quiet distraction free room, close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Take slow breaths, breathing in for a count of four and breathing out to the count of four; you could try this guided video.
Download some ‘self-help’ apps, for example Clear Fear App is an app that can help you manage anxiety and includes useful mindfulness activities.
Keep active. This doesn’t have to be intense – going on a brisk walk or taking the stairs instead of the lift can help!
It might be useful to think about the specific things which are making you anxious. Breaking it down can sometimes help us find small steps to improve things. You could try brainstorming solutions to the problems you identify and ask a trusted person to help you put these in place.
If safe and manageable, try to face your fears in small ways and if you can, gradually work up to facing bigger fears, so you build your confidence and the worry gets smaller.
Who can help me?
Accessing support in your local area, or on-line, may be useful if you are experiencing mental health difficulties that are having mild or moderate impact on your daily life . Based on your symptoms, age and where you live, the support below might be useful for you:
Thrive hubs can help you understand your options.
Our service is designed to advise, guide, signpost and get help for young people within Manchester currently facing mental health and emotional wellbeing issues.
Learn more about Thrive HubsFor young people looking for emotional wellbeing support, this website offers a range of information and services, including counselling, psycho-social support, and cognitive behavioural therapy.
An on-line resource with lots of advice and information for young people.
We provide mental health support within education settings across Manchester, including primary and secondary schools and colleges
Offering counselling support for young people with anxiety, depression, anger, difficult life experiences, panic attacks, struggling to cope, low self-esteem, hearing voices, unwanted thoughts or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Offering a 10-week Junior Physical Activity Referral Service (PARS) Their Children’s Healthy Lifestyle Practitioners will connect families to fun activities in your local area.
Blocks is a 1-to-1 mentoring programme to gives 8-11 year olds in North and East Manchester all the tools they need to move to high school effectively.
We provide mental health support within education settings across Salford, including primary and secondary schools and colleges.
Stop.Breathe.Think is a mental health charity offering online counselling to those aged 8-21, who cannot afford or access support quickly. No wait times and available nationally, we provide vital support to those who need it right now.
A mental health charity offering online counselling to those aged 8-21, who cannot afford or access support quickly. No wait times and available nationally, we provide vital support to those who need it right now.
Offering a variety of resources to encourage healthy relationships between a child and their parent is suitable when a young person would like to or would benefit from developing a better understanding of safe, happy, and healthy relationships.
TDAS works with children and young people in Trafford who have been exposed to domestic abuse or are at risk of being involved in unhealthy relationships.
We provide mental health support within education settings across Trafford, including primary and secondary schools and colleges.
Trafford Youth Engagement team delivers a number of services from our Talkshop base in Sale. Talkshop is an advice, support and information centre for young people aged 11 to 19 (up to 25 with additional needs or care leavers).
CAMHS Services
A referral to a CAMHS service might be useful if you are experiencing mental health difficulties that are having a significant impact on your daily life. Based on your age, symptoms and where you live, the following services might be appropriate for you:
We are an NHS service that offers support and treatment to children and young people up to 18 years old who are experiencing challenges with their mental health and wellbeing. We also support parents, carers, and families of these children and young people
CAPS supports parents and carers to help their children (under 5) to develop to their fullest potential and be ready for school. This includes promoting improved quality of parent/child relationships; and supporting parents and carers with their children’s social, emotional development and wellbeing.
The Community Eating Disorder Service (CEDS) is a specialist CAMHS community team (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service), for children and young people aged 5 – 17 who may be presenting with an eating disorder or eating disorder difficulties. We provide specialist evidence-based therapeutic interventions to young people and their families, through a range of treatments, as well as physical health monitoring.
We are a specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) working with deaf children and their families. We cover the North of England and have teams in York, Manchester and Newcastle.
Emerge 16-17 CMHT provide a wide range of community based mental health services, including risk and duty support, to young people aged 16 and 17.
The Manchester CAMHS team for Looked After Children is a CAMHS team for children and young people cared for by Manchester City Council.
We are an NHS service that offers support and treatment to children and young people up to 18 years old who are experiencing challenges with their mental health and wellbeing. We also support parents, carers, and families of these children and young people.
The Paediatric Psychosocial Service (PPS) is a specialist CAMHS team (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, for children who are being treated at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. By providing psychological and psychiatric assessment and treatment for patients who have emotional and mental health problems related to their underlying physical illness.
We are an NHS service that offers support and treatment to children and young people up to 18 years old who are experiencing challenges with their mental health and wellbeing. We also support parents, carers, and families of these children and young people.
We are an NHS service that offers support and treatment to children and young people up to 18 years old who are experiencing challenges with their mental health and wellbeing. We also support parents, carers, and families of these children and young people.
The Tertiary Paediatric Fatigue Team is a team made up of different professionals who can support you to manage fatigue. The team can provide you with help to manage your symptoms and find strategies to manage your day-to-day life. We support you with conditions such as ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and Post-covid Syndrome (Long Covid). The service provided is based on NICE Guidance- this is to make sure treatments are safe, effective and based on research. You will receive medical reviews based on your needs at that time, while taking steps towards feeling better.
We are an NHS service that offers support and treatment to children and young people up to 18 years old who are experiencing challenges with their mental health and wellbeing. We also support parents, carers, and families of these children and young people.
We are a specific CAMHS team for young people who may have been involved in the youth justice system. We are based within Manchester Youth Justice supporting Children who may be on a statutory court order or on intensive supervision.