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What is anxiety?

Anxiety affects everyone differently and can be brought on by different situations or experiences. It results in a feeling of unease, like a worry or a fear, which can be mild or severe. Everyone feels anxious from time to time but it usually passes once the situation is over.

It can make our heart race, we might feel sweaty, shaky or short of breath. Anxiety can also cause changes in our behaviour, such as becoming overly careful or avoiding things that trigger anxiety.

Symptoms of anxiety

When anxiety becomes a problem, our worries can be out of proportion with relatively harmless situations. It can feel more intense or overwhelming and interfere with our everyday lives and relationships.

What causes anxiety?

There are lots of things that can influence our mental health, such as our upbringing, childhood environment, our experiences and even our temperament.

Sometimes it can be difficult to know what is making you anxious, which can be upsetting or stressful in itself. That's why learning to recognise what is making you anxious can help you deal with the uncertainty better.

Panic attacks

If you experience sudden, intense anxiety and fear, you may be having a panic attack.

Other symptoms of a panic attack may include:

Feeling that you're losing control
Sweating, trembling or shaking
Shortness of breath or breathing very quickly
Feeling sick (nausea)

A panic attack usually lasts five to 30 minutes. They can be very frightening, but they're not dangerous and should not harm you.

Dealing with anxiety, fear and panic

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Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder caused by very stressful, frightening or distressing events. Any event that an individual deems to be traumatic can cause PTSD. What causes it for one person may not cause it for another.

Someone with PTSD often relives the traumatic event through nightmares and flashbacks and may experience feelings of isolation, irritability and guilt.

Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder

The symptoms of PTSD are often severe and persistent enough to have a significant impact on the person's day-to-day life.

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When to seek medical advice

It's normal to experience upsetting and confusing thoughts following a traumatic event, but most people improve naturally over a few weeks.

You should seek further help and support if you are still experiencing problems roughly four weeks following the traumatic experience or if the symptoms continue to be particularly troublesome.

Still feeling Anxious?

The tips on this NHS page should help you manage feelings of anxiety. But if your anxiety is affecting your daily life or causing you distress, you should consider seeking further support.

Anxiety

Most people feel anxious or scared sometimes, but if it's affecting your life there are things you can try that may help.