Anxiety
Understanding anxiety
Important notice:
The information on this website is not medical advice.
The Student Wellbeing Toolkit contains only generic advice and does not take into account your personal circumstances, physical wellbeing or mental health. Do not use information on this website to treat or diagnose your own medical condition, or another person’s medical condition.
Never ignore medical advice or delay seeking it because of something on this website. If in doubt, always seek help from a trusted adult at home or at school.
Diagnosing mental health issues related to anxiety
If you (or someone you know) feels anxious, it is important not to rush to conclusions. Remember, feeling anxious is not the same as having an anxiety disorder (read more about the difference).
It is common for people to read about symptoms and mental health online and "self-diagnose". To self-diagnose is to give yourself a diagnosis without having consulted a medical professional, or having medical training yourself.
For someone to have a diagnosis, they need a thorough assessment by a mental health professional, like a psychiatrist, who has training in diagnosing mental health disorders. Unless such an assessment has been completed, we strongly advise that you do not assume that you/someone else has a mental health disorder.
If you are worried for yourself or a friend, we urge you to seek help from a trusted adult in school (see Your supports in school) or a parent.
The difference between anxiety and an anxiety disorder
The following information is based on an infographic on anxiety and young people, made by Mind HK, a mental health charity in Hong Kong.
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a feeling of unease such as worry or fear that can be mild or severe. Everyone experiences anxiety at some point in their life especially in high pressure situations but anxiety disorder is something more serious.
What is an anxiety disorder?
Anxiety disorder is a mental illness when you have persistent, excessive and uncontrollable anxious feelings that causes significant disruption to your day-to-day functioning.
How anxiety can affect one's daily life
Anxiety can prevent you from being yourself at school, work, family get-togethers, and other social situations that might trigger or worsen your symptoms. These may include (but aren't limited to):
frequent and excessive worry,
poor concentration,
sleep disturbance,
muscle tension,
fatigue,
shortness of breath,
avoidance and social withdrawal.
How to cope with anxiety
Establish and maintain a healthy routine: get enough sleep, have balanced meals and exercise regularly.
Spend time with your friends and family even if this is done remotely (e.g. by phone, text or FaceTime).
Find resources at your school: school counsellors, social workers and academic advisors.
If you are struggling, seek professional help.
How to support peers who are coping with anxiety
You could check-in to see how they're doing and offer to accompany them to seek support. Help them regain self-confidence and feel accepted for who they are. When they feel ready, encourage them to meet new people and use their experiences to help others, which can break the stigma of mental ill-health.
See the infographic here. The infographic was used and adapted by Mind HK with the permission of Island School student Nicole Cheng.
Your brain when you're anxious
Whether you're experiencing stress, or think that you're experiencing anxiety, it is useful to understand how our bodies respond to stress! For example, why do we kind of "freak out" when we're stressed? Why is it hard to think clearly?
To work this out, it can be really helpful to understand the human brain. This helps explain what anxiety actually is, and how it evolved in the human brain over time. Watch this video to learn more:
Reflection Activity: What are your Fight, Flight, Freeze, or Fawn responses? When your Fight response kicks in, what do you sometimes do? Think of as many examples as you can. And what do you tend to do when Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn responses kick in?
Understanding panic attacks
A panic attack is an exaggeration of your body’s normal response to fear, stress or excitement. It is the rapid build-up of overwhelming physical sensations, such as:
A pounding heartbeat
Feeling faint
Sweating
Nausea (feeling sick)
Chest pains
Feeling unable to breathe
Shaky limbs, or feeling like your legs are turning to jelly
Feeling like you are not connected to your body
Support groups in Hong Kong
Monthly Support Group Meeting for Teenagers and Youths with OCD, Anxiety & Depression
OCD & Anxiety Support HK recently started the ‘first ever teenage support group’ in Hong Kong for English-speaking teenagers between the ages of 15–22 years old.
The support group is for teenagers who are suffering with mental health problems namely OCD, Anxiety Disorders or Depression. The support group meeting aims to provide a safe and non-judgemental space for teenagers to connect with other teens who are facing similar issues , be heard and acknowledged for what they are feeling and to receive support and coping skills from the group facilitator.
The support group meeting run monthly on a Saturday from 11.30am – 12.30pm. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the group is currently running meetings online on ZOOM.
If you are interested in attending, please consult your parents. Read more about the group and email contactocdcommunityhk@gmail.com to sign up.