1. In this assembly we’re going to find out what anxiety is and we’ll talk about some steps that you can take if you feel like anxiety is affecting you.
Coping with Anxiety

2. What is anxiety?
A natural, normal feeling that we all experience from time to time.
Anxiety can be useful and helpful when we face new or stressful situations.
Causes a ‘fight, flight or freeze’ response so that we are alert and ready to react to the challenge.
Our body’s way of preparing ourselves for a challenge when faced with stress, by releasing a chemical called adrenaline
Can you think of a time when you have felt like this? It might be when you are facing a new situation, like starting a new club, or when you are doing something out of your comfort zone, like being in a school play. It might be worrying about something like upcoming exams.

3. What causes anxiety? Being anxious or ‘a worrier’ can run in families.
Worrying about exams, bullying, friendship problems, appearance, money etc.
A change in your family, e.g. parents separating, new step parents/ siblings.
Worrying about the health of a family member or losing a family member.
A fear/ phobia which may be considered irrational.

4. We’ve probably all felt these from time to time (might be helpful here to share a personal example, e.g. going for a job interview). It’s perfectly normal to feel anxious about certain situations. We can develop strategies for coping with these feelings. Can you think of anything that you do when you start to feel nervous? Things like exercise, breathing deeply and counting to 10, thinking of a clam place, talking to friends and listening to music can help.
Normally when the situation is over we feel better and calmer.

5. … But sometimes those feelings of anxiety don’t go away
The anxiety can make doing everyday things, like going to school and talking to people, difficult.

6. Anxiety can start to affect the behaviour and thoughts of the anxious person in negative ways.
These can include:
Feeling scared, panicky, embarrassed or ashamed a lot of the time.
Not having the confidence to try new things, face challenges or even carry on as normal.
Finding it hard to concentrate, or having problems with sleeping or eating.
Having angry outbursts and getting very angry very quickly and feels ‘out of control’.
Worries or negative thoughts going round and round in your head, or thinking that bad things are going to happen all the time.

7. Who does anxiety affect?
Mental health does not discriminate, it can affect people irrespective of age, looks, job, money, environment. Who recognises these people? All of these celebrities have suffered from anxiety and/ or depression that has had a debilitating effect on their lives. More and more people are talking about their mental health issues now as a way of raising awareness and reducing the stigma surrounding mental health issues.

8. Video? Young person talking about anxiety?
Or prepared volunteer to read example blogs:

9. What can you do if you feel that anxiety problems are getting in the way of your life?
TALK TO SOMEONE- a parent, sibling, teacher, adult at school, doctor, youth worker, friend.
Learn to recognise anxious feelings so that you can tell when you are becoming anxious and ask for help.
Try doing something that will distract your thoughts and help you relax, such as listening to music, exercising, socialising, finding a quiet space or reading.
Try to put things in perspective and rationalise fears/ worries by running through scenarios and thinking about what possible outcomes might be.
Talk to a professional- there are therapeutic interventions that could help you.
There are many other strategies for coping with anxiety, but all are far easier with someone else supporting you through the processes, so it’s really important to seek the help that you need by speaking to a trusted adult.

10. Useful websites: www.youngminds.org.uk www.anxietyuk.org.uk