Anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of unease, worry or fear. Everyone feels anxious at some point in their life and a little bit of anxiety can be helpful – for example, feeling anxious before an exam might make you more alert and improve your performance. For some people, too much anxiety can be an ongoing problem and can have a negative effect on their mental wellbeing.

If you are experiencing anxiety, please consider the resources below. They cover some of the common forms of anxiety.

• NHS Moodzone offers practical advice, interactive tools, videos and audio guides to help you feel mentally and emotionally better. It includes tips to help you cope with day-to-day fears and anxieties.
• Attending our workshops and courses on topics such as managing anxiety or overcoming social anxiety will help you to start to challenge your thinking and develop coping mechanisms to reduce anxiety.
• Learn to improve your ability to tolerate difficult thoughts and feelings at our weekly mindfulness session.
• Explore our wellbeing podcasts available 24/7 to help you relax and be mindful.
• Kooth offers online text-based counselling support for young people (aged 25 and under) living in Greater Manchester, Qwell is available for anyone aged over 25.
• These NHS Leaflets cover several anxiety problems: ‘Anxiety’ (in general), ‘Health Anxiety’, ‘Obsessions and Compulsions’ and ‘Social Anxiety’.
• MMU Library Wellbeing Wakelet contains a collection of resources you can use to improve your wellbeing, including information on anxiety. You’ll find links to the Library catalogue (for print books and ebooks), websites, PDFs, podcasts and videos.
• Moodjuice (NHS Health Scotland) have written a number of very good Self-Help Guides – including guides to overcome anxiety and social anxiety. The website also has information leaflets, details of books, organisations and services, support groups and helplines.
• Resources written by the Australian public health service CCI offer cognitive behavioural therapy based self-help. You work through the modules (information, exercises, activities and worksheets) by printing them off or saving them online. The relevant ones here include: ‘Panic Stations’, ‘What? Me Worry?’ and ‘Helping Health Anxiety.’
• The Mental Health Foundation have a number of Podcasts on mindfulness and breathing techniques to help you relax and CCI have some helpful breathing techniques here.
• Living Life to the Full is another cognitive behavioural therapy based self-help website but it includes videos as well as written material.