Anxiety

What is it?

Anxiety is the feeling we get when our body responds to a frightening or threatening experience.

Anxiety is an unpleasant feeling that we experience at times in our lives. It is often used to describe someone when they are ‘irritable’, ‘nervous’ or a ‘worrier’. Anxiety can affect you mentally, physically and also affects how you behave.

Mentally: Worrying for long periods of time, feeling out of control.

Physically: Increased heart rate, tension, trembling, breathlessness, headaches, chest pain, feeling jumpy, dizzy or a feeling of butterflies in your stomach. These symptoms are uncomfortable and frightening but are not dangerous.

Behaviour: Avoidance of the things that make us feel anxious.

People who are anxious have a tendency to worry about the physical sensations that anxiety brings which gets them into the vicious cycle of anxiety.

Unhelpful things that anxiety suffers do:

• Predicting the Future (For example you have a concert booked “I am not going to enjoy it” or “xyz is going to happen” or “I might have a panic attack”)
• Mind Reading – Imagining that you know what other people are thinking (“She probably hates me”, “She thinks I am fat”)
• Catastrophising - Thinking the worst of every situation (“Something really bad is going to happen”)
• Focussing on the negatives – disqualifying all the positives.
• Personalisation – Blaming yourself (“This is all my fault”)
• Over Generalising (“Nothing good ever happens”)
• What if statements (“What if I have a panic attack”, “What if something bad happens”, “What if he doesn’t turn up” or “What if she thinks I am fat”)
• Labelling (“I am worthless” or “I am completely useless”)

Anxiety is closely related to phobias and panic disorders.

Who gets it?

Absolutely anyone can feel anxious at times and the feeling of anxiety is a normal response to some situations, for example talking in front of a crowd, but when it is constant and so severe that it stops you from doing things that is when it becomes a problem.

• Stressful life events
• Early experiences that make you feel jumpy or insecure
• Stress or pressure
• Natural worriers
• Inherited though immediate family

How to help yourself combat anxiety.

Challenge the unhelpful thoughts when in an anxious situation and try to think more realistic.

Controlled breathing. In for 5, hold for 2, out for 7.

Muscle Relaxation. Go through all your muscles, tense them and then relax, notice how good it feels when relaxing.

Distraction. Get a colouring book! Visualise something calm and good. Count back from 100 in threes. Scribble. Music.

Face your fears, don’t avoid things.

Do things you enjoy to relax.

Exercise.

Eat a healthy diet.

Mindfulness.

Set small goals to work towards.

See your GP.

Helpful Websites

Mood Juice Self-Help

Northumberland NHS Self-Help Booklets

The Thoughts Room – The Quiet Place Project

Mind

British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy

ChildLine

Off The Record – The Resilience Lab

To help you to understand what anxiety is :

Written by a member of the CAMHS participation group