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Anxiety: Seeking Help & Coping Strategies

Written by healthwords.ai's team of doctors and pharmacists based in UK | Updated: 24 Jan 2023 | 3 min read

Anxiety occurs when we feel under threat or stress and is normal – it's actually helped our survival in the past. These days some mild anxiety can help us achieve – a bit of adrenaline may help us perform well in an exam or spur us on for a job interview. But it becomes a problem if it gets in the way of us going about our everyday life.

It’s common to feel anxious: you may feel worried, tense or panicked. Feelings can vary in intensity and you might get physical symptoms such as your heart racing, breathing quickly, a heavy feeling in the chest, feeling sick or shaky, sweaty and getting a dry mouth.

You will try to do everything to avoid situations that make you feel like this. Again, this serves a purpose to a point, who wants to keep volunteering for stressful exams? But if it stands in the way of you leaving the house or risking certain situations, it has started to become a problem.

What is severe anxiety?

Anxiety disorders can be mild, moderate or severe, depending on how often you are experiencing symptoms, how intense they are and how debilitating they become your day-to-day life. Severe anxiety is anxiety that is present nearly all of the time and so severe it causes you to feel in high distress and struggle to function.

It can often occur alongside panic attacks or depression. Rest assured, severe anxiety can improve with the right help and support, but it’s important to seek help early to break the cycle of symptoms and avoidance behaviours.

When should I seek help?

You should seek medical help if you have severe or prolonged anxiety symptoms despite lifestyle changes. These include making sure you're getting out and about, that you're exercising and eating well, and that you're avoiding excessive alcohol or drugs such as cannabis. You should also seek help if your symptoms are getting worse or it is affecting your ability to function in your day to day life.

What help is out there?

Your doctor is a good first port of call and can help support you, listen and provide advice and access to treatments such as talking therapies or discuss medication and how it can help. There are also many support groups across the UK for anxiety and support helplines run by charities which you can find listed below.