I was there at the Ariana Grande concert, not just there i was inches away from a fatal injury, I completly watched it happen, i was about to leave through that exit and by a few meters i survived unharmed. But i then got pushed over in the stamped to get out and only just got out cos a stanger and my friend helped me, we then ran away from thw arena to our car, which was quiet far away. i didnt cry much at first only a few times at all actually, it always make me very upset at times when i realise how kuch i saw and expirenved at only 13. im not scared of concerts anymore, i love ghem actually but i have recently relised how scred i am at being alone and doing stuff by myself in places other than my home, i dont like going to my school libaey alone, or go to the gym i go to often alone, or the bus or, even walking down the corridor really. i dont know if this is a social anxiety or other disease or if its relates to manchester. What do you think?
Sam
Hi there,
Anxiety about what happened at the 2017 attack in Manchester is a natural response. Coming so close to life changing injury or death can have a long lasting effect on you and how you feel. Anxiety can start to affect everything you do so it's important to get some help to be able to get back to how things were before.
Lots of people have anxiety for many different reasons. Some people feel anxious going out on their own or being in places with lots of other people. Some are anxious about being in social situations and others get anxious about being home alone. Anyone can be affected by anxiety for any reason. Whether the reason for your anxiety is linked to what happened in Manchester or not, there’s support for anxiety.
There are different ways to manage your anxiety. Something you may find useful is to take very small steps towards being more confident in those situations. It might be that you try going to the school library alone but distract yourself with music or by taking a calming object with you. After a while you can then try going to those places without those objects and see how it feels. Taking things slowly is always okay when trying to recover from something traumatic like the attack in Manchester.
Thank you for sending me this letter, I hope it's helped.
Sam
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