It’s normal to feel afraid and anxious sometimes, such as when managing work pressures, exam stress, money problems, and relationship issues.
But when fear and anxiety symptoms become long-term or take over your life it can affect your wellbeing.
This guide explains where fear and anxiety come from, how they can affect you, and ways to cope and seek support.
Contents
To help you better understand what fear and anxiety are and ways to cope, this page covers:
What is the difference between fear and anxiety?
The words ‘anxiety’ and ‘fear’ are often used to describe similar feelings, such as dread and worry. However, as much as anxiety symptoms can feel like fear, they aren’t quite the same.
What is fear?
Fear is a powerful emotion that produces a physical response which helps us react to threats or dangerous situations. Yet fear can also happen in everyday, non life-threatening events such as exams, arguments, or even during social occasions like parties.
Even though fear is a natural response to situations that make us feel under pressure, when it’s out of proportion to the event that triggered it, it could be problematic.
Ongoing fear can also be a symptom of mental health conditions, such as anxiety.
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a type of fear we feel around things such as health, finances, and relationships, and is a normal issue for a lot of people. Anxiety symptoms can be described as ongoing feelings of dread about something going wrong in the present or future. It can also be about something that went wrong in the past.
When anxiety lasts for a long time it can disrupt everyday life, such as the ability to sleep, concentrate, and socialise. It can also lead you to believe that you’re unable to cope with daily tasks, holding you back from enjoying life and creating a cycle where anxiety becomes worse and affects your mental health.
Types of anxiety
There are many types of anxiety which can cause people to worry about different things, and it’s normal to experience symptoms of more than one.
Some of the most common types of anxiety are listed below.
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is when you worry about lots of different things and these fears feel disproportionate and out of control. As GAD can increase the risk of sleeping difficulties, mood problems, concentration issues, and physical symptoms, it can affect daily life.1
Social anxiety
Social anxiety is an intense fear of social situations. It includes symptoms like avoiding socialising, fear of public speaking, worrying a lot before social events, feeling like you’re being criticised by others, and physical symptoms such as trembling and sweating.2
Health anxiety
Health anxiety is when someone worries a lot about being or becoming ill. It can take over daily life as it includes symptoms such as frequently scanning the body for signs of sickness, seeking constant reassurance from medical professionals, and physical feelings of actually being ill.3
Phobias
A phobia is an extreme fear of a particular animal, thing, place or situation. Phobias affect everyday life as they can cause an overwhelming need to avoid the source of fear. Even the thought of coming into contact with the cause of fear can potentially intensify anxiety or panic attacks.4
What is a panic attack?
A panic attack is when you feel overwhelmed by physical and mental feelings of fear. It’s a type of anxiety attack, in which people might find it hard to breathe, feel like they’re having a heart attack, or are losing control of their body.
If you experience physical symptoms such as tightness in your chest or shortness of breath, it’s important to speak to a healthcare professional to rule out other underlying causes.
How can I manage fear and anxiety?
Long-term anxiety and fear can be overwhelming, especially if you don’t know why you’re experiencing them or if they feel out of proportion to the situation. If fear and anxiety are affecting your daily life, speaking to a mental health professional for support and advice may be the best first step towards managing them.
In the meantime, there are practical anxiety relief actions you can take to cope with your fears.
Understand what you’re feeling and why
Recognising that you’re feeling anxious and where it’s coming from is a great step toward learning how to overcome it.
You can do this by paying attention to your feelings and writing down a name for them. For example, do you feel concerned, scared, or nervous? Recognising these feelings can help you figure out where they come from. Try to remember what was happening when you first noticed fear; where were you, who were you with, and what was said?
When we pinpoint a trigger, we can start noticing our thoughts around it and how they make us feel anxious. With practice, we can even challenge negative thoughts and beliefs, and replace them with more accurate ones.
Manage your anxiety in the moment
If you notice anxiety starting to build, you can stop it from taking over by managing it in the moment.
One way of doing this is practising one-minute mindfulness, as it’s a great way to quickly and easily reset your mind and body. Try to find a comfortable place to sit or stand, pay attention to the sensations in your body, concentrate on your breathing, and notice how the feelings in your body change in response.
Another useful way of managing your anxiety in the moment is to keep a list of statements or reminders about yourself to hand. Make these statements meaningful to you, for instance, ‘I feel fearful, but it doesn’t define who I am as a person’.
Face your fear if you can
Testing your fears and whether the situation is as bad as you expect it to be gives you the chance to see anxiety for what it is and build confidence.
You can test your fears by setting small, achievable goals. For example, if you have social anxiety, you could reduce fear by smiling at people in passing. Then, as your comfort levels increase, you can build up to bigger tasks such as saying ‘hello,’ asking questions, or starting a conversation.
After you attempt each small goal, try writing down what went well and how what happened compared to your fears.
Talk to a trusted friend or family member
Many people judge themselves for feeling anxious, but it’s a normal emotion, so you don’t have to deal with it alone. The act of talking about anxiety can help reduce it and encourage you to seek more support if needed.
If you have a friend or family member you feel confident will respond supportively, perhaps consider opening up to them about what’s going on. If you feel nervous about speaking to them, you could prepare for the conversation by noting down a few things you want to say or sending them an email to read ahead of time.
Physical activity
The body and mind are connected, so even short bursts of movement, such as a ten-minute walk or gentle stretches can be good for anxiety relief. Exercise also boosts ‘feel good’ chemicals in the brain, improving mood and taking your mind off your fears.5
Find ways to relax
When we’re anxious, we may not realise that we’re not taking any ‘downtime,’ and end up increasing our worries. Finding meaningful ways to relax can be an enjoyable method of reducing the physical and mental feelings of fear.
Relaxation means something different for everyone; for you, it might mean taking a bath, reading a book, or relaxation techniques like deep breathing and mindfulness meditation.
Healthy eating
Many of us don’t realise the link between anxiety and diet. For example, caffeine can lead to feelings of nervousness and a high-sugar diet can cause blood sugar to drop and make you feel anxious. So try to avoid eating a lot of sugar or drinking too much tea and coffee.
Try to eat regularly to stop your blood sugar levels from dipping and make you feel tired or bad tempered. For more information on a healthy diet, visit the NHS Eatwell guide.
Avoid alcohol, or drink in moderation
People often drink alcohol when feeling fearful or stressed – it’s where the saying ‘Dutch courage’ comes from! But alcohol can make us feel even more fearful or anxious when its effects wear off as it has a depressant effect on the brain. Plus, we may also have low blood sugar or feel tired and dehydrated after alcohol. It can even lead to what many people call ‘hangxiety.’7
So, if you feel fearful or stressed, try to avoid using alcohol as an anxiety coping mechanism. Our guide on how to manage and reduce stress offers healthy ways of coping with stress.
Faith/spirituality
Religion or spirituality can help people feel connected to something bigger than themselves. If you are a person of faith, attending places of worship or meeting with faith groups can help you cope with everyday stress and connect you with a support network.
Support and information
If fear or anxiety is affecting your ability to live a full life, there is support available to you, such as the following options.
Anxiety therapy
Talking therapies have proven to be very effective in helping people with anxiety management. Depending on your fear and anxiety symptoms and causes, your GP may recommend one of the following talking therapies:
- Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)
- Psychodynamic therapy
- Computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (CCBT)
If you would like more information on a suitable talking therapy for your anxiety, your GP may be able to help.
In England, you can also refer yourself to NHS Talking Therapies.
In Scotland the Living Life service can be accessed through NHS 24.
In Wales, Silver Cloud is accessible through their website.
In Northern Ireland visit Community Wellbeing for support.
Anxiety medications
If anxiety is affecting your day-to-day life, your doctor may talk to you about the option of anxiety medications. Medications for anxiety include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).7
Anxiety medications treat the symptoms rather than the root causes. Therefore, while they often play an important role in anxiety management, they may be most useful when combined with other treatments, such as talk therapy.
Anxiety support groups
Local anxiety support groups can help you learn a lot about anxiety management as they bring together people with similar experiences. In such groups, opportunities to share stories and provide tips and encouragement for coping with anxiety are openly given.
Mind and ReThink Mental Illness both offer online support forums. If you would like details of in-person support groups near you, your doctor, library, or local Citizens Advice Bureau can help.
Further resources
- The Mental Health Foundation
Our website offers information on mental health, mental health problems, self-help, and how to get help. - Every Mind Matters
Every Mind Matters has information and advice to support your mental health. - Samaritans
Samaritans provide emotional support 24 hours a day.
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- NHS. Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD). Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/generalised-anxiety-disorde… (Accessed: 11 December 2024).
- NHS. Social anxiety. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/social-anxiety/ (Accessed: 11 December 2024).
- NHS. Health anxiety. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/health-anxiety/ (Accessed: 11 December 2024).
- NHS (n.d.) Phobias: Overview. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/phobias/overview/ (Accessed: 11 December 2024).
- NHS (n.d.) Be active for your mental health. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/be-active-f… (Accessed: 11 December 2024).
- Drinkaware (n.d.) Alcohol and hangxiety. Available at: https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/facts/health-effects-of-alcohol/mental-hea… (Accessed: 11 December 2024).
- NHS (n.d.) SSRI antidepressants: Overview. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/… (Accessed: 11 December 2024).