Young Carers
Anxiety is the feeling you get when you’re worried or scared about something. When we are in stressful situations, anxiety sets off our brain’s alarm system, which tells us something isn’t right and that we need to deal with it. Our brain wants the difficult situation to go away, so it makes us feel more alert, stops us thinking about other things, and even pumps more blood to our legs to help us run away.
Anxiety can be a particular problem for young carers – they can become isolated and fear being different. They also worry about their family member(s) when they’re away from home. Many young carers have trouble balancing schoolwork with home responsibilities and this can also be a source of anxiety.
Anxiety can affect you physically and mentally. The charity, YoungMinds, lists some of the symptoms of anxiety as:
If you experience any of these symptoms above, it doesn’t mean you definitely have an anxiety problem. But if any of them are affecting your everyday life, it’s a good idea to talk to someone you trust about how you’re feeling.
Everyone feels anxious sometimes, and a little anxiety can be helpful as it can keep you safe from danger and helps you focus on important tasks – like at exam time. But sometimes anxiety can make you feel like things are worse than they actually are, and that can feel overwhelming and debilitating.
There are lots of things you can do to help yourself cope better with your anxiety. Techniques that help you learn how focus on your breath and your body are especially useful and can help you relax. Here are two techniques you can use anytime, anywhere.
Take some deep, slow breaths
The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise
If you’re struggling to cope with your worries and fears, speak to your GP who will be able to recommend the best kind of support for you.
If you’d prefer to speak to someone anonymously, you could also call a free phoneline:
