What is Anxiety?
The Worry Never Goes Away - What is Anxiety?
By Lina Nguyen
Feeling worried can be a good thing for us, like how we need it to survive and hide from danger, how we might be nervous for a quiz or even feel excited to show something amazing in front of so many people!
But, if these feelings of worrying stay, like feeling scared all of the time without it going away, then it can be bad for you.
So, what is Anxiety?
Anxiety is like stress, being scared that something bad might happen. But stress and anxiety are very much different from each other!
Stress is like feeling scared because the storm has arrived, but the storm goes away later, and you stop feeling stressed again.
Anxiety is like feeling scared that the storm has arrived, but now you’re more scared that the storm is about to strike thunder and you’re waiting for it to happen, and you feel scared for a very, very long time without the storm going away!
The feeling of anxiety feels like forever and it just never goes away, but that is okay and if you feel these feelings, you are not alone, and it isn’t weird or strange at all!
How do I know what Anxiety looks and feels like?
There are a lot of things that can make you feel anxious, you can:
Feel:
Feel uneasy
Feel like you cannot concentrate
Feel like it is hard to fall asleep
Feel like it is hard to concentrate and focus
Feel like you body is hurting for no reason
Feel your heart beating really quick
Feel like you are sweating
Feel like your stomach feels sick
Feel very dizzy
You Are:
Mean to yourself and other people
Always running away from the same thing
Never trying anything that looks hard for you
Experiencing a panic attack
Feeling like you cannot breathe, and you can’t control your body
Always feeling like something bad is going to happen
Having a hard time at school, at work
Unable to do things that you used to love doing everyday
Wanting to hurt yourself
If you are feeling this way, you are not alone and can talk to someone, some organisations being:
■ Lifeline: 13 11 14
■ SuicideLine Victoria: 1300 651 251
■ Headspace: 03 9027 0100
■ Healthdirect helpline: 1800 022 222
The list above can be used as reference to whether you feel the same feelings too, however if you need to determine whether you have anxiety or another unknown feeling, it is recommended you consult either a General Practitioner (GP) or call a consultation to a nearby health clinic.
How do I know I need to ask for help?
You can always ask whether you need more help with your feelings of anxiety, but one of the ways to know you may need to ask for help is if these feelings of anxiety are stopping you from doing anything in your life.
Every day activities including:
Getting out of bed
Going outside
Doing your schoolwork
Eating food
Drinking water
Concentrating and focusing
Sleeping
Here are ways you can ask for help:
Visit a General Practitioner
If you do not have a regular doctor, you can visit a Health Clinic and request for one who specialises and has experience with mental health.
Visit a Health Clinic
Call us at Life Minded Psychology to see a psychologist
For more immediate or outside office hours support, call a counsellor online through a mental health website. There are many websites in Australia who are happy to talk to you by texting or calling on the phone.
Call or chat online to a counsellor at Beyond Blue for free while maintaining confidential (a secret) : 1300 22 4636
Getting a mental health coach
Nurse On Call: 1300 60 60 24
Lifeline: https://www.lifeline.org.au
Call, text, or chat online with a person: 13 11 14
What can you do to help with stress right now?
Even when the feeling of anxiety cannot go away or disappear for good, there are many ways to help you feel better which you can do right now, at home or when you start to feel these feelings of anxiety or stress!
Self-Care: You need to take care of yourself the best you can, such as making sure you are eating well, drinking water and staying active with exercises and making sure to get enough sleep.
Talk about how you feel: With people you are comfortable with, like your family and friends, it is a good thing to talk about how you feel because it can help you feel more aware of your feelings and get more help from others too.
Be kind to yourself: This is another form of self-care, being mean to yourself is never good and can make you stress even more!
Take a deep breath: When you feel stress, slow your breathing down and take long, deep breaths. Long deep breaths tell your body that everything will be okay, and nothing is scary.
Do something you enjoy: If you have any hobbies that you like doing, such as painting, playing sports, reading books, going back to those hobbies will help your stress and even better, you’ll feel happy because you’re enjoying them!
In summary…
Anxiety can be good sometimes, but when it feels like stress, and stays for a very long time and it never goes away, it makes us feel not so good on the inside and we sometimes don’t know what to do to feel better.
But we know we are never alone and that there are many ways we can find help, such as phone calls, text messages and even walking into health clinics!
You are not alone!
Websites Used
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/talking-to-your-doctor-gp-about-mental-health
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/serviceprofiles/nurse-on-call-service#where-to-get-help
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/mental-health/anxiety
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/mental-health/parenting
https://headspace.org.au/explore-topics/supporting-a-young-person/anxiety/
https://www.apa.org/topics/anxiety
https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/anxiety-difference
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/anxiety#symptoms
About the author and Artist - Lina Nguyen
Lina Nguyen completed this blog post as part of her student placement with Life Minded Psychology while undertaking her Bachelor of Psychology at RMIT University. This task was designed to help Lina develop her professional communication skills and translate psychological concepts into accessible, reader-friendly content. Her blog post reflected her ability to communicate evidence-based ideas in a way that promotes understanding and awareness within the community.
A big thank you from Life Minded Psychology to Lina for sharing her knowledge and reflections through this blog post!