Anxiety is not just feeling shy, it’s bigger and more complex than that, and it’s also a totally normal feeling of fear or panic. When humans face stressful situations it can trigger our ‘gut feeling’, the in-built body alarm bell we have, which tells us when we don’t feel right about something, and we need to deal with it.
Anxiety can kick start our ‘fight or flight’ response, which make us feel more alert, stops us thinking about other things, and even pumps more blood to our legs to help us run away.
Most of us worry and feel anxious sometimes – about things like exams or tests, but once it’s over we usually calm down and feel better.
Anxiety becomes a problem when you’re not in a stressful situation, and you still feel worried or panicky.
Below are classic anxiety symptoms, if they get worse or last longer than they should, it might be time to look for some support.
If any of these symptoms are affecting your everyday life, it’s a good idea to tell someone you trust about how you’re feeling.
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