This is the feeling of being anxious about almost everything and anything! Often, people affected by GAD will feel overly worried about a wide range of things including:
- Your performance at school
- Arriving on time for appointments
- Things that are happening at school or at home
- Worrying about worrying
- Do you feel that you have been nervous most days over the past 6 months?
- Do you have problems falling asleep? Do you have bad dreams or wake up worrying?
- Do you feel that your body is very tense or uptight?
- Do you often feel that you want to shout or feel frustrated?
If you can answer “yes” to any of the above questions, you may be experiencing GAD.
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Hello, i’m 15 years old and have been experiencing anxiety for a very long time. I’m always getting panic attacks at school, and i’ve got into the habit of taking days of school because I dread going into school due to the fear of my attacks. I also worry excessively, and I instantly think the worse in any situation. I feel like i’m alone and I have noone to talk to, and my anxiety is controlling me. I constantly cry and get upset about it and I feel trapped. I just wish it would go away. Please help!
Hey, I’m 13 and have been suffering from anxiety since I was 6 years old when my parents divorved. As a 6 year old I didn’t have any friends at my new school because all I would do was complain about how fat and ugly I was. I don’t think normal 6 year olds are concered my that. And it’s just been like that ever since. I think the worst in everything. I haven’t had a full week at school in over 2 months because I am so scared of what other people think of me and that they will see that I am strange and different. I don’t trust anybody. When I am happy I feel guilty because I know that there are other people who are not happy. I can’t remember the last time I was happy. I cry everyday, sometimes at school even though I try not to, that’s what hurts the most because I know people are thinking how sad and pathetic I am and I need to grow up, but I’m not normal I’m weird. They call me weird and boring which really doesn’t help. Last year I had panic attacks but I’ve stopped them now. I was taken to my GP after a very severe one. I’ve never had any medication. Without a boyfriend I feel insecure and weak. I need to be reassured every minute of every day that I am loved by someone or I get lonely. My stepdad doesn’t like me and nearly walked out on my mum because of me so the minute I get home from school I race up to my bedroom and have my tea bourght up to me and only see my mum for 10 seconds everyday when she brings my tea up and never see my stepdad ever. I have no brothers of sisters and my best friend is my cat. I used to go to my school counciller but my friends said I didn’t need it and that it made me weak so I stopped it. I don’t know what to do, everything is doubly doubly hard for me than other people. I am failing all my exams because I am trying to stay ‘cool’ and I don’t know what to do with my life and I am wasting it everyday. No boys like me. Please helppppppp!
HI Ronnie,
It sounds like you are going through an awful time at the moment – teenage life is difficult enough without having the added pressures of anxiety to deal with. I wondered – have you ever heard of social anxiety? It sounds a little bit like some of the things you said fit with it. I think it isn’t a bad idea to see the school counsellor – even if your friends don’t think its a good idea. It seems like you could do with a bit of extra support, particularly if you can’t speak to your mum about things. If not there are some good young people’s helplines, like youngminds that may be able to offer more informal support. I don’t think there are any easy answers for you right now, but it might help if you had someone to talk to.
If you thought therapy outside of your school might help then we can support you with that – we do telephone over the phone and webcam that may be of use – you can find out more by calling our helpline on 08444 775 774 – or your Mum can if you were able to talk to her about it. You could also download the ‘children and young people with anxiety’ guide for parents and carers by going to this page http://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/about-anxiety/anxiety-uk-free-downloads/, and give it to your mum – it might help her to understand what you are going through. You are not on your own with this, lots of anxiety problems start in early childhood and about 1 in 5 young people live with a disabling anxiety disorder according to research – they proabably just don’t talk about it at school.
Good luck and come back if you need anything else.
Cat (Anxiety UK)
hey, i had alot of panic attacks at school aswell due to bulling etc.
taking time of school alot aswell, if you wanna talk i am here to help as i still experience alot of what you are going through
Hi, sorry I had to removing your facebook contact details here because members sometimes get abusive messages when they leave their contact details. Hope you can understand that.
Andy
hello i took a panic attack when i was 15 im now 23 and still feel like i suffer from some sort of anxiety its like when im outside things feel a bit day dreamy or hazy almost as if im having a panic attack without the rest of the syptoms.it still controls my life because i feel if i go abroad i will start panicking over not being in my safety zone.does anybody else have the same symptoms?
Patrick O – I have exactly the same feelings.
I panic when I am away from home as I feel I am not near my comfort zone.
So this includes anything from going on holiday to days out at places.
I genrally try to get over these feelings when I do go out for days out or when I have been abroad recently but I don’t feel right the whole time.
I am avoiding going away abroad this year as this tends to make me panic whilst I am away from home and worry about going before I even leave my door.
Tomorrow I have a day out to go to, and this has made me worry a bit.
Im not sure why I worry or what im worrying about, I think it’s just the thought of going somewhere I don’t know and am not familiar with.
I think I do need help with this situation as I am worried it will only get worse?
Your situation does sound similar to mine? Do you have any ways in which you deal with this?
I’m not sure whether I have GAD or not. I am 13 years old and I worry excessively even about the most stupidest things for hours on end. I think the worst constantly in all situations and am never positive about anything. I cry alot about everything that has been worring about while I am in bed, however I’m not sure if that has any relevence to GAD. Ive been trying to figure out how long I have been like this for and I recon it is about 6 months or more. I have the worst memory you see and my spelling isnt to great either. I tend to twitch or have to fiddle with something constantly and I usually feel on edge because I get very easily paranoid. I hate having people walk behind me or sitting behind me as I worry that they are judging me about something and I can’t describe really what I feel when I get like this unfortunatly. Its a really werid sensation and I have to make them move or I have to move out of the way. My last boyfriend dumped me because all I do is worry which leads me to be overprotective and I couldnt stop crying for days because I can’t help but worry. All my friends say Oh just don’t think about it or something similar but I can’t turn off the thoughts they are always there haunting me. Sometimes my head tells me things that have happend like 4 years ago that were humiliating or bad and I just think about it and worry about it for such a long time. Whatever happens they never seem to go away. I try so hard but nothing helps.
Is there anywhere I can go to get tested?
Can anyone give me some advice?
I’m trying to find this out because If I did have GAD It would exaplin so much about my life.
PLEASE HELP ME! :(
hi, i have had a pretty bad phobia of people being sick since i was three this caused severe panick attacks which can be triggerd by anything to do with people beign sick, my main places of having panick attacks are, school, home, transport, partys, hospitals and so much more. Its got so bad i get really scared of alot of things now which cause me to have panick attacks up to about nine times a week. My panick attacks are like minimum of 15 minutes to over 24 hours. All of the above are how i feel it actualy made me cry, its so hard living your life in fear. im not mental but i feel like im going insane, im scared of what the future holds and im only 15. Councilling didnt work and my confidence has just gone, ive never met anyone who suffers like i do and its embaressing if i just have a pancik attack in front of people. I have nightmares all the time and i have panick attacks alot when im by myself in my room at night. I dont wont to feel like this because it makes me feel trapped, its like veery emotion but positive punched mein the chest. Its put so many boundrys on life and i feel like anything could trigger of a panick attack. i really wont to meet someone like me, someone who understands me because nobody really does and its upsetting.
Hi Kirsty,
It sounds like you are suffering from emetophobia – have you had a look on that page, there are lots of other people experiencing the same things. http://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/about-anxiety/anxiety-disorders/emetophobia/
Best wishes
Cat (Anxiety UK)
Hi this is the first time iv written to anyone or on anything about my symptoms! I suffer from anxiety which I believe is quite severe, it stops me from doing some of the lost silliest things, for instance I wont eat or drink because I’m frightened if I do it will make me stop breathing and il die which is ridiculous but I can’t seem to understand it, when I do eat it’s a huge ordeal which takes me forever to go through and even then I don’t eat alot! This came from me feeling like i have a blocked throat and heavy chest where I can’t breath, it’s constant all day everyday and it’s completely taking over my life, I’m worried 24/7 over the smallest issues!
I’ve contacted my doctor who just prescribed me with endless tablets with no actualy help, tablets for me only supress the feelings I want to be completely over this without tablets and feel I have no idea what I’m meant to be doing!
If anyone knows about this please reply! Thanks
Hi, I’ve never written to one of these before but I feel as if I need to tell someone about my problem because its getting to the point now where I feel its starting to ruin my life. It started when I was 11/12 and started secondary school. I had to do a presentation in front of the class (which I used to love at primary school) and I suddenly felt sick and panicked (which I now know was a panic attack)at the time it scared me so much that I begged them in tears to phone my mum and her to pick me up. As soon as I knew she was coming and on the way home, I was fine but it started happening every time I made the journey to school and terrified me as one time the nurse told me that I had to stay and she wasn’t going to phone my mum as she said she didn’t think I was actually ill, which made me absolutely beside myself and i nearly passed out with fear! I started to have problems with ‘not being able to get out’ and It gradually got worse and worse as I got older. now I’m 18 and the problem has become so much that if I go somewhere I can’t make an easy exit to home or I don’t have a route of escape (eg a holiday or even staying away for a night without being able to leave) I have a panic attack. It has prevented me from being able to go to university or go on holiday with my friends, even going to a concert an hour or two away caused me to panic a lot. Its started to make me depressed and down the last few months. Being able to drive helps a lot as it means I have an escape route, so much so that if I have my car there I won’t even feel the need to panic, no matter the length of time I’d be spending there! I have been on antidepressants but I came off of them as I didn’t want to have to take tablets to change my behaviour, I just want it to go away because its really ruining my life and stopping me from doing what I want to do. What is the best thing to do about this problem?:( its just frustrating that this never happened before the age of 11 when I used to go on school trips and stay away all the time, but now I’m an adult I can’t! I wish everyone the best of luck overcoming their problems, many people are unsympathetic and do not understand what its like to live in fear and having to shape your life around something that you shouldn’t. It makes me feel so alone and awful and I just want help:’(
I’ve always been a worrier for as long as I can remeber but it all started to get really bad when I was in year 6. I was such a hypercondriac and I would worry constantly till the point I was actually sick about symptoms that didn’t exist. I was also paranoid that girls would think I fancy them and think I was a lesbian and I just started to hate the guts out of these girls.
The hypercondria went on untill about year 8. I remeber one day I found a swolen gland on my neck and I worried so much that I had cancer that I ended up running out of class and throwing up in the toilet. Winter last year was the worst year I ever had. I would just be scared of everything. I would worry every second of the day and would be scared of sleeping because of nightmares and in the morning would wake up feeling sick and dreading the day. Random things would set me off in panic attacks and I stopped doing everything I loved and hated seeing my friends.The lesbian thing got worse and it changed to me being terrified that I was a lesbian. The thought of it made me ill and I hated myself so much. One day I broke down in front of my mum and burst into tears and told her everything and she took me to the doctors. It took them so long to send me an appointement to see a phyciatrist that by the time it came through it was the start of summer. Everything went away in the summer and I felt happy for the first time in months with the odd down day and worries.
When it began to get cold this year my anxiety started up again and now I’m left with these constant nagging thoughts that I have this inability to love and nothing about my bodys normal and I’m just going to die alone. Again, really random things give me panic attacks like seeing two people walking down the road holding hands or people at school talking about crushes and ex boyfriends. I can’t stand living like this and all I want to do is just lay in my bed and keep away from people. I want help but it takes so long to get any that I’m constantly on edge and waiting just makes it feel 10x worse.
Hi, Im 13 and i’ve been suffering from axiety since I was about 7 and Its got really bad over the past few months – Just when I started school acctually. Ive also been having panic attacks a lot lately, normally in the morning before school. Its mainly to do with difficulty breathing. It becomes faster and it feels much harder to breathe. I also feel as if I would like to yawn and if i cant, it triggers of my panic attacks. My GP says its just anxiety though. Actually 3 doctors have told me that – one in A&E. However I’ve been missing days off school a lot. I’ve had to a lot of catching up to do! At school I have no Friends in my class and remain silent most of the day. My anxiety also limits my eating as I get nervous when I eat – again to do with breathing, I feel as if I cant breathe when I eat,( maybe thats to do with my asimetric synus which I should grow out of) so I dont tend to eat at school and I dont seem to be able to put any weight on which makes my Mum rather worried. I also get panicky when im in someplace stuffy. I do get stressed and nervous alot – my life is full of anxieties which would take me forever to write down. Im forever checking my pulse around my body – sounds silly. School life for me is very stessfull as I have a lot of subjects to do and some of them which I dont understand and am not doing for gcse (but still my Teachers put preasure on me to do my best). I also dont like going places where im not close to anyone that can help me if something bad happens. My only comfort zone is Home!!! Panic attacks are quite alot for me to cope with. I try to overcome them but they often feel overwhelming at times. I also dont have much confidence in myself. My Dad keeps telling me things that I personally know are not true about myself but he keeps telling me probably because im his son and that just what you do – I guess. I doubt that helps my symptoms! I keep trying my hardest to overcome this but get hardly any results. Im starting therapy soon so I hope that should help. There are so many things that I would like to do again, but I dont either because I think it may cause panic attacks and/or already has caused me a panic attack. My parents keep telling me that its all in my head, but when you get the symptoms, it all seems pretty scary.
If anybody has experienced this problem or could help me that whould be great if you could reply.
Many Thanks
A
Hi Alex
This must be very distressing for you but I want you to know that anxiety is often the result fo irrational thoughts/beliefs/fears and negative thinking. Focusing too much on these thoughts can cause the body to react and trigger panic attacks. These experience can in turn reinforce the negative thoughts and the negative coping behaviour (e.g. avoidance). You need to stay positive and have faith in yourself and those who are supporting you. The physical symptoms aren’t going to hurt you and you need to distract yourself from focusing too much or worrying too much about them. Be more proactive and motivate yourself to go out and meet new people, and building more confidence in yourself and exercise can help you to manage the anxiety. May I suggest you to take a look at our Shop? We have a wide range of self books and many of them are written by professionals and therapists. These books should give you a better insight on anxiety and panic attacks, and are full of effective CBT techniques. Worth a read !!
Best wishes
Andy
Hi Alex
Also, make sure you control your breathing when you are experiencing a panic attack. You can practice breathing exercise by breath in through your nose for a count of 5, then hold it for a count of 3, then breath out through your mouth for another count of 5. Practice and repeat this often during the day even when you are not having a panic attack, and try to get used this breathing exercise so you will know what to do automatically you are experiencing a panic attack next time.
Andy
Hey Alex, what you says sounds very familiar to me, especially about eating. I really want to help you. It has actually been five days that i started feeling normal. I mean i feel i don’t have panic attacks anymore. As i said i wish i can help you but its impossible to write my last 9 months in 2 lines. I just want you to know that it is possible. Panic attacks disappear as sudden as they appear.
I also tend to get worried about people seeing me having a panic attack.
My Dad tells me good things about me but I dont believe them because i dont see the point in lying to myself
i’ve been feeling the same way now for almost 2 years, i am now 16 and it’s still not any better. I had 3 months off school a year back because i was too scared to leave the house constantly feeling lightheaded/dizzy, shaky and feeling like i can’t breath but the worst of all was the feeling of being detached from reality like everything was a dream! I had to go back to school for the beginning of year 10 for the sake of my education which i did and i still have anxiety and worry everyday but i force myself to go to school and not miss a day and so far i haven’t in the last year and a half! The amount of physical feelings i get i’m positive i have some disease and sooner or later i’m going to die! It’s horrible but I’ve learnt to control my anxiety somewhat and can stop it before it gets to the highest point by telling myself i’m fine and control my breathing although i’m going through a phase at the moment where i’m convinced i have a muscle problem thats going to kill me as i always feel shaky,weak and have slow reactions and crap like that. It’s getting better and im sure one day I will beat anxiety!!
Hi Beth
I am pleased to know that you are having some progress. In addition to breathing exercise, perhaps you can have a read into the self help books so you can learn more self help skills to help manage and treat your symptoms? You can take a look into this link: http://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/products/generalised-anxiety-disorder/. The “Overcoming” books are particularly useful as they are written by well-recognised therapists and they teach you a lot of skills based on the Cognitive Behavioural approach.
Best wishes
Shirley
Hi, I am 15 years old and have been suffering from anxiety for about 2 years at most. I get scared of a lot of things but have extreme phobias of the dentist/hospital/doctors (anything medical related). I have to have a lot of treatment on my teeth but I cannot get it done due to my extreme anxiety. I have no problem allowing the dentist to check my teeth, but any further and i start to get very anxious. I have yet to experience a proper panic attack although I feel myself having them in my head. I have an extreme nervous and sick feeling when walking into a hospital and occasionally feel myself wanting to faint. I constantly think that there is something wrong with my health- usually relating to my heart and brain. I get constant headaches with triggers me to think i have something wrong with my health. Whenever i think about things that make me nervous i get extremely panicky and sometimes feel myself struggling to breathe- only in some cases. The list is endless and I am very anxious on a day to day basis, this effects me from doing an excessive amount of things that i would do with no problem when i was younger.
Hi Amanda
This must be distressing. Have you talked to anyone about your anxiety, like your parents, teachers or your doctor? They should give you support in getting the right care as your anxiety is manageable. I would suggest you to talk to someone that you trust. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to have this problems because these are very common and a lot of people are having the same problems as you do. If you have the confidence to overcome the anxious feelings yourself, I would suggest you to read some self help books as they can teach you a lot of self help techniques – like relaxation, breathing techniques – to help you manage your problems. Take a look here – http://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/products/book/ and see which one you feel interested. Alternatively, you can ring us on 08444 775 774 and speak to one of us for advice on what materials are suitable for you.
Best wishes
Shirley
This sounds very like what I have and am experiencing, it’s terrible and can completely understand your frustaration. I struggle to do most things that would not have been any problem to me as a child.
hi im 18. i am in a relationship with someone who has depression and she tends to take things out on me. this has caused me to become extremely anxious about pretty much everything. talking to other girls is a massiive one, i have lost all my female friends due to being too anxious to talk to them becasue it may upset my depressive girlfriend who also has major trust issues. but the main thng is i struggle to deal with her depression. she has extreme mood swings and says things which tend to trigger my anxiety ad play on my mind. all i do is sit at home and overthink and overanalyse every situation. i have been like this for a while but recently it has become uncontrollable and i often become too stressed and anxious i cant eat or sleep properly. any help or thoughts?
Hi there
Anxiety is the result of irrational thoughts and negative thinking, and these thoughts can trigger all sort of physical and psychological symptoms. Do you do alot of exercise during the week? Exercise helps reducing anxiety and stress levels, and can distract you from focusing on these negative thoughts. In fact, 45mins exercise a day, 5 days a week is better than any anti-depressant available in the market. Also, I would recommend the Overcoming Depression by Dr Chris Williams for you and your girlfriend, and you can purchase this book from our Shop. This book would give you a better insight into the cause of depression and how you can manage with depression. Please visit our Get Help session for more information and support available to you.
Best regards
Andy
Hi, I’m a 14 year old girl, and a generally happy person, but for the past 6 months I have been having anxiety attacks. I can get these at any time but sometimes they are triggered by listening to music I like, then wishing I was as good as the musician, I then get upset I have a huge feeling that I’m not good enough for anyone. I go round in a viscous circle of wishing I was someone else. I’m not sure if this is anxiety or just general normal feelings. When I get these anxiety attacks I feel that there’s no bother trying at anything, and that I’m not worthy of anything. But then again occasionally I feel really happy and think I’m being ridiculous. In my worst anxiety attack I have contemplated suicide, though do not be alarmed I didn’t do anything about it and do not intent to. Sometimes I self-harm, I began this a while ago when I would snap an elastic band down on my wrist when I did something wrong (e.g. when I got carried away in a conversation and talked too much,or I didn’t concentrate on work I’m doing). I don’t know what to think or how to beat these feelings.
Thanks,
Hi
I am sorry to hear that you are experiencing a difficult time. Anxiety works exactly as a vicious circle and the golden rule to beat it is to break the circle. Have you talked to your parents or any professional about your issues? I would suggest you to do so because they can offer you help and support that you need to overcome this anxiety. Please remember that you don’t deserve to deal with this alone so don’t bottle up your issues. There are a lot of people that are able to overcome their anxiety after receiving the right support and treatment, and we have supported a lot of people to build up their lives with a positive perspective again. If you want to talk to someone for more details, or like to access our therapy service, please ring us on 08444 775 774 and speak to one of our volunteers.
Best wishes
Shirley
Oh and I know I shouldn’t self-harm but I can’t stop, I don’t do it a lot, just sometimes