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Anxiety is a response to a threat or feeling of fear and causes a physical and behavioural response.  It changes how we act and how we feel.

If this natural response begins to play out when we think about everyday actions and our tasks for the day, it can start to get in the way of us living the life we want to with the people we want to be with.  

Symptoms might include being unable to concentrate or make decisions, worrying about the past or future, or thinking something bad will happen, noticing your heartbeat gets stronger, faster or irregular or you get short of breath when you start feeling anxious.   

If you are worried about your heartbeat or feeling short of breath, or other symptoms that you are not sure about, see a GP.

Working with a therapist can help you to understand your anxiety, its causes and ways of coping with the feelings.  There are a number of strategies that might help you and the NHS website has some really useful resources. For more information on anxiety, click on the button below.  

5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique

This technique focuses the mind on the present moment by actively employing the senses.  You can use grounding techniques whenever you feel overwhelmed by anxiety, stress or strong emotions that feel uncomfortable.  

Identify 5 things you can see

Identify 4 things you can touch

Identify 3 things you can hear

Identify 2 things you can smell

Identify 1 thing you can taste

Top Tip:  practice this when you are feeling calm so you can use it during an anxiety episode or when you are feeling overwhelmed.