Anxiety

Anxiety is very normal, It can be closely linked with fear, panic or worry, and everyone usually experiences some form of anxiety. It is particularly common around high pressured times or changes, like sitting exams or moving away to University. We can have the feeling of butterflies in our stomachs, feeling sick, sweaty palms and heart pounding and recover once the trigger has passed like before a date, or an exam or finding the Lecture Theatre on your first day. Anxiety can happen before good things and difficult things too. Some would argue we need anxiety to help us function at our best capabilities.

Anxiety disorders are different from every day anxiety. The psychological, emotional and physical symptoms linked to these disorders can affect how we live and become really difficult and upsetting. We may need support to manage our anxiety through medication or support of services and interventions like counselling or CBT.

This section will explore Anxiety in a little more detail offering you more information about services and resources available to you. If anxiety is becoming a significant problem for you access your GP for support, utilise the resources/services below or access the Life Lounge here at the University.

You will also find a specific section below related to COVID Anxiety and how to manage this. If you are experiencing COVID related Anxiety please watch the video prepared by Andy King our Cognitive Behavioural Therapist.  

We highly recommend that you complete the LEAP Managing Anxiety Module.

Some commonly diagnosed anxiety disorders are listed below taken from the MIND website. Click on the titles to be taken to  MIND to find out more

Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) – this means having regular or uncontrollable worries about many different things in your everyday life. This can be quite a broad diagnosis, meaning that the symptoms you experience with GAD might be quite different from someone else with the same diagnosis.

Social anxiety disorder – this diagnosis means you experience extreme fear or anxiety triggered by social situations (such as parties, workplaces, or any situation in which you have to talk to another person). It is also known as social phobia.

Panic disorder – this means having regular or frequent panic attacks without a clear cause or trigger. Experiencing panic disorder can mean that you feel constantly afraid of having another panic attack, to the point that this fear itself can trigger your panic attacks.

Phobias – a phobia is an extreme fear or anxiety triggered by a particular situation (such as social situations) or a particular object (such as spiders).

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – this is a diagnosis you may be given if you develop anxiety problems after going through something you found traumatic. PTSD can cause flashbacks or nightmares which can feel like you’re re-living all the fear and anxiety you experienced during the actual event.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) – you may be given this diagnosis if your anxiety problems involve having repetitive thoughts, behaviours or urges.

Health anxiety – this means you experience obsessions and compulsions relating to illness, including researching symptoms or checking to see if you have them. It is related to OCD.

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) – this means you experience obsessions and compulsions relating to your physical appearance.

Perinatal anxiety or perinatal OCD – some women develop anxiety problems during pregnancy or in the first year after giving birth.

Resources