What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a feeling of worry, fear or unease. It is your body’s natural response when you feel worried, under pressure or think something might go wrong.

You might feel anxious before an exam, starting somewhere new, meeting new people or having an important conversation. A certain amount of anxiety is normal and can even help us prepare for challenging situations.

Sometimes, though, anxiety can become difficult to manage. You might feel anxious when there doesn’t seem to be an obvious reason, worry a lot about things that might happen, or find that anxiety is stopping you from doing things you want or need to do.