Anxiety is an uncomfortable feeling of fear or stress. It's a common feeling that everyone experiences at some stage. What makes one person anxious, might not make another person feel the same. You might worry about exams and school, while others do not. Anxiety can become a problem if it:

• gets in the way of your normal day-to-day activities
• carries on for more than a couple of weeks

If this is happening, you may have an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorders

Anxiety disorders can make you feel nervous a lot of the time. This can last for long periods of time and in different situations. There are many different types of anxiety disorders. Each has their own symptoms. They include:

• generalised anxiety disorder
• social anxiety (social phobia)
• obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• panic disorder
• agoraphobia
• specific phobias
• hypochondria

Causes of anxiety

Many things can trigger anxiety. This includes stressful situations. These could be school exams or family problems. Sometimes it's a mix of lots of different factors. The exact cause of anxiety is not always clear.

Symptoms of anxiety

There are many symptoms of anxiety. You may:

• feel irritable, argumentative or always in a bad mood
• feel worried all the time that something bad will happen
• need to be told all the time that everything will be okay
• be upset with mistakes or changes to your routine
• feel the need to be perfect
• have difficulty concentrating
• have a dry mouth or difficulty swallowing
• have problems sleeping
• get headaches or tense muscles
• be restless
• have a rapid heart-rate
• feel like getting sick or have diarrhoea

If you experience more than one of these symptoms over a couple of weeks, you may need some extra support. You should also get help if it affects your day-to-day life.

If you feel it's serious

If anxiety begins to take over your life, talk to your GP. They can refer you to a professional who can treat your anxiety. Many different forms of therapy are used to successfully treat anxiety. Cognitive behavioural therapy is one of these. It helps people to learn about their anxiety. Through this process, they can learn to manage it.

Advice for parents

If you have concerns that your child is feeling anxious, there are things you can do to help.

Talk to your son or daughter

If your son or daughter are willing to talk about their fears and anxieties:

• listen carefully and respectfully
• accept their fears
• don't dismiss or ignore them
• let them know you're there to support them

Ask about their feelings

If your son or daughter is experiencing a strong emotion:

• ask them about it
• listen to them
• don't dismiss their emotions
• show concerns for their feelings

You could help them to trace the emotion to where it began. This might help to reduce the overwhelming nature of their feelings.

Be a good role model

Lead by example. When you think about your son or daughter's wellbeing, think about your own too. Look after your own mental health as well. If you're anxious, your son or daughter is likely to pick up on your anxiety. They may experience an increase in their own anxiety.