I recently had a big athletics comp and I was worried about mucking up , the day before i couldnt get it out of my head . i had double pe that morning and cried for almost 10 mins in the bathroom . my teacher noticed something was wrong so when we had a break she took me into the pe staff room and i told her what i thought was streesing me out and we had a chat for about 10 mins .so i went home that day with the advice she had given me in my mind thinking ok once this race is over i will be fine . but that race is over now and im still stress . it had been quiet an overwhelming week, so that might have something to do with it but there is nothing that i can pin point for my anxiety, hoping you can help. thanks in advance.
Sam
Hi
We all worry about things from time to time and it can affect us in different ways. There are all kinds of things that people worry about and sometimes those worries can start to affect everything else. If you feel like you’re stressed and that it’s affecting your day to day life then it’s important to look after yourself.
Anxiety has a lot of physical and emotional side effects. You might feel your heart rate increase, your breathing get faster or your chest feel “tight” or “heavy”. You might feel dizzy, tense or restless – and it might make you fidget a lot.
For most people anxiety is a normal reaction when they feel worried or stressed about something, but when the situation or problem is over, the anxiety usually goes away. But in some cases the feeling of worry, fear or panic doesn’t go away. This is when anxiety can become a problem.
There are things you can do yourself to try and help manage your anxiety. When you feel anxious it can be good to distract yourself with things you enjoy, like listening to music, reading, playing games or watching TV. Expressing yourself can also help, like drawing, writing or making music are all good ways to let your feelings out. We’ve got plenty of games on the Childline website which you might like, as well as the Art box, which is a space for writing or drawing about your feelings.
Thinking about coping with anxiety in the longer term is a little bit different. Being organised and prepared for situations and events can help reduce anxiety. Having a routine that you are familiar with is good as well. There are lots of ways you can take care of yourself. Staying healthy through eating a balanced diet and getting regular exercise can help.
In some cases people find they can’t manage the anxiety themselves and might feel overwhelmed by it. If this happens, it’s a good idea to visit your doctor because they can help figure out what’s going on, what type of anxiety you might have and discuss what support you can get.
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
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