What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is when you feel worried, nervous, or uneasy. Everyone feels worried sometimes. Children and teens can have more anxiety at certain ages or before some events. This is normal. Anxiety can even help you do better in some cases.
What are Some Symptoms of Anxiety?
Sometimes your anxiety can cause problems. You may have an anxiety disorder if your anxiety:
- Is intense
- Lasts a long time
- Gets in the way of your life at home, school, or with friends
If you have an anxiety disorder, you could:
- Feel more worried than others. You may:
- Worry a lot before an event about what might happen
- Dread things you cannot control
- Find it hard to control your worry
- Avoid places where you feel worried, like school
- Feel on edge or cranky
- Find it hard to focus
- Feel symptoms in your body. You may:
- Have head or stomach aches
- Feel sick to your stomach
- Throw up
- Feel very tired
- Find it hard to fall or stay asleep
What Kind of Anxiety Disorders are There?
There are many kinds of anxiety disorders. Children and teens often have:
Separation Anxiety Disorder
This is when you worry more than others at your age about not being with someone, like your parent.
Social Anxiety Disorder
This is when you worry a lot when you meet new people or talk with others.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
This is when you worry a lot about different things like your grades or friendships.