Understanding the feelings of stress and anxiety and how to cope with them

With the right support you can find your way forward

Life can be really difficult and things can feel out of our control

Often we can manage this and we cope the best we can.

If this stress goes on for a while, or something big happens, things can build up and feel too much.

You might try distracting yourself, or hiding your feelings, hoping they’ll go away. But you can become overwhelmed and struggle to keep your feelings hidden.

Signs of stress might be:

feeling under constant pressure
being jumpy or anxious
getting angry really easily
feeling like we just can’t be bothered.

We’re somehow expected to control these feelings or not show that we’re upset.

If we don’t know what to do with it all we might do things to hurt ourselves as a way of coping.

Try not to be hard on yourself if you do self-harm - see it as a sign you’re struggling and need support.

If any self-harm breaks your skin and causes injury, it’s important to keep it clean.

When we’re stressed, our negative inner voice is often louder than our positive one. If you can, try to hear how you talk to yourself.

We’re often much kinder to our friends than to ourselves and wouldn’t judge or shame them the way we do ourselves. How might you speak to a friend who is feeling like you are?

Talking to someone

Talking to someone is getting support and can really help, but can feel very hard to do, when the things you need to say feel private, scary or embarrassing.

A trusted friend or adult is a good place to start.

You might be worried about how people will react to you. It’s true some people may not know what to say or do, but there are people who can listen and understand, and who won’t judge you or try to stop you. Keep trying until you find the right person.

How you feel isn’t ever wrong

It’s really important and OK to find ways to let these feelings out – in ways that don’t harm you or others. It can release the pressure and feel better, it also lets people know how you really are.

If you’re afraid you might do something to harm yourself, it’s important to find a way to safely share your feelings & get support.

Did you know crying releases similar chemicals to self-harm!

Some facts about feelings

No feelings are ever ‘wrong’ – even those we don’t like very much.
Feelings are always there for a reason. If they don’t fit with what’s happening now, they will fit with something that happened in the past.
Your feelings matter, no matter what they are.
Sharing painful feelings is what helps. It just takes time.
Feelings usually pop up uninvited – and can make us feel out of control.
We often call difficult feelings ‘bad’ and we hide them from others and ignore them.
You matter – so sharing how you feel with someone who cares is always good
Sometimes we don’t know why we feel the way we do – talking can help.