Anxiety
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is one of the most common mental health issues people experience, so if you struggle with it… it’s important to know you’re not alone.
In fact, we all experience anxiety to some degree in our lives. A feeling of unease in pressured situations, worrying about doing something or low-level fears are types of anxiety that can be part of everyday life (think job interview, just before a cup final football match or big date). However, for some those anxious feelings are harder to control and can develop into episodes of anxiety.
Now here’s the science bit: When an episode occurs our bodies release stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. Once they’re released we start to worry, our levels of fear starts to rise, and we feel like there may be no escape. Aside from what goes through our mind during an episode, we may also experience physical symptoms, including:
- Increased heart rate
- Breathlessness
- Sweating
- Stomach pains and muscle tension
- Feeling sick
- Excessive tiredness or Insomnia
With both physical and mental health symptoms developing, episodes of anxiety can really influence the way we live our lives. Here are some tips, advice and tools to help you minimise the impact anxiety can have.
Does feeling anxious affect you every day?
Whether you're feeling anxious all the time or just sometimes, check out our top tips to help you feel more in control
Clare hit rock bottom when her grandad died. She was struggling to cope with her grief and suffering with anxiety
"When I called Ben, they were amazing. They listened. Once I’d spoken to them, I knew it was going to be fine. Every time I spoke to someone at Ben, I felt like there was a solution. My Case Manager made me feel comfortable and the support was sincere, it felt like it was more than a job to her."
More about anxiety
Coping with nerves
We all feel nervous or anxious sometimes but there are tips and techniques you can use to help you cope and manage nervousness
Top tips to deal with anxiety
Anxiety can make certain tasks or situations seem like they are too much & we can feel overwhelmed. Here are some simple tips that can help reduce anxiety