Feeling worried?

What is anxiety?

Lots of things can make someone worried, anxious or scared. A little bit of anxiety is your bodies natural response to danger, but sometimes your worries can become worse than usual and you start feeling overwhelmed by these feelings.

If you’re feeling anxious, you might:

  • feel your heart beating really fast
  • get scared, worried or tense
  • get fidgety, or shake after something’s happened
  • feel sick or get a funny feeling in your stomach
  • struggle to think about other things
  • have a panic attack.

Anxiety feels different for everyone, so you could also feel something completely different. It’s also normal to have times when you feel more and less anxious.

It can be hard feeling anxious all the time but there are lots of things you can do to help and there are also lots of people around you who want you to feel happier and comfortable and will help you if you ask.

How to cope with anxiety?

There are many things you can do to help with anxiety as the video below suggests.

You could:

  • Try focus on your breathing. Find somewhere comfortable to sit if you can, and place both feet on the ground. Slowly breathe in through your nose as you count to 5, then out through your mouth as you count to 5 again. Keep going, and try to let your muscles relax a little more each time you breathe out. 
  • Learn about mindfullness.
  • Try talking to a friend, family member or person you trust about how you are feeling.
  • Write down your feeling or keep a mood journal.
  • Go for a short walk or a run, or even just do some star jumps. Moving your body and releasing some energy can help to calm you down when things are getting too much.
  • Make a self-soothe box.

Talk to us

If you would like to talk to someone at school, please come and talk your Head of Year or your Assistant Head of Year or an adult you trust. They will be able to listen and support.

More Information

For more information on this subject, please see the resources below or follow the links to some useful websites:

Young Minds - Anxiety

Childline - About Anxiety