• Anxiety is normal - our brains are wired to be alert to danger.

• Feelings of anxiety can help us prepare, focus and protect ourselves.

• However, where these feelings persist and disrupt your daily life, they can be harmful and may indicate that you have an anxiety disorder.

• Symptoms can include dizziness, sweating, shortness of breath, palpitations, nausea, indecisiveness, irritability, distress and avoidance of situations or places.

• There are many treatment options available. Always speak to your GP in the first instance.

Anxiety is when you feel worried, tense or fearful, especially about things that are about to happen or which you think may occur in the future. Most people feel anxious at times. It is an entirely normal response to specific situations, such as feeling worried about a work situation or facing a significant event. However, if your anxiety becomes long-lasting or intense, it can start to interfere with your daily life, and you should seek help.

Anxiety disorders are common and can vary from mild general symptoms to intense symptoms of a panic attack. It is estimated that 284 million people worldwide have had an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives, which is about 4% of the global population (GBD Results Tool, 2019). The overall prevalence of mental ill-health, including anxiety disorders, in Northern Ireland is around 25% higher than in England or Scotland.

Everyone’s experience is different, and therefore not everyone with an anxiety disorder will have the same symptoms.

Some of the most common symptoms are:

• Thoughts – premonitions of bad things, uncontrollable overthinking, confusion, lack of concentration.
• Feelings – fear, worry, nervousness, agitation, irritability.
• Physical – headaches, muscle/chest pain, sweating, tingling, numbness, shaking, dizziness, changes in appetite, rapid or shallow breathing, rapid heartbeat or palpitations, dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea.
• Behaviour – avoidance of places, people or situations, not going out, obsessive or compulsive behaviour, increased use of alcohol or drugs.

When you become aware of a potential threat or danger, your brain responds by setting off its panic button. It releases hormones that prepare your body to react with the fight, flight, or freeze response. For example, when a car sounds its horn to prevent you from walking out in front of it, your brain responds, and you move out of the way.

Sometimes, these potential threats or dangers are imagined. For example, you might feel anxious thinking about speaking in front of a large group of people, despite no physical risk being present.

Usually, when the threat or danger has passed, the body returns to a normal state reasonably quickly.

However, if you have an anxiety disorder, your body may remain in a state of high alert, and you might find it difficult to switch off these bodily responses.

These commonly go hand-in-hand. When you are depressed, you often worry about the future and have a mixture of anxiety and depression. If you have been experiencing high stress levels over a long period, it may lead to depression. For more information about depression visit our learn more about depression page.