What can Anxiety feel like?

Anxiety can affect everyone differently. It can affect your thoughts, feelings, body and behaviour.

In your thoughts – You might:

• Worry about lots of different things.
• Overthink situations or conversations.
• Expect something bad to happen.
• Find it difficult to concentrate.
• Think about the same worry again and again.
• Find it hard to switch off.

In your body – You might notice:

• A racing or pounding heart.
• Feeling shaky or sweaty.
• Feeling sick or having a funny feeling in your stomach.
• Headaches, feeling dizzy or light-headed.
• Breathing more quickly.
• Feeling tense or restless and difficulty sleeping.

In what you do – You might:

• Avoid people, places or situations that make you anxious.
• Keep checking things or asking for reassurance.
• Find it difficult to go to school, college or work.
• Cancel plans or stop doing things you usually enjoy.
• Become quieter or more withdrawn.

Having some of these experiences doesn’t necessarily mean you have an anxiety disorder. Lots of things can make us feel this way, particularly during stressful times.