Helplines in Northern Ireland.

Feeling anxious or worried? Contact a hotline in Northern Ireland for free and confidential help

Anxiety can be extremely overwhelming and confusing. It's very common to experience anxiety at some point in your life, although what this looks like can vary from person to person. If you're in Northern Ireland and you're feeling anxious, worried or fearful, there are 3 helplines who can help. Anxiety symptoms can look like any of the following:

• Feeling extremely nervous or overwhelmed
• Avoiding situations that cause worry
• Feeling like you can't calm down
• Overthinking social situations or conversations
• Ruminating (spending a lot of time obsessing over things that are worrying you)
• Feeling panicky
• Changes in appetite
• Shutting off in situations where you feel threatened

It's normal for anxiety to impact thoughts, feelings, and even physical sensations. Everyone's experience is different, which can make it hard to know what's happening when you've never experienced it before. Some people feel a mild sense of anxiety most of the time. For others, they may experience sudden and severe anxiety to the degree that they feel like they are experiencing a heart attack or dying.

Tackling these thoughts and feelings on your own can be really difficult, but it's important to know that there are ways to manage your anxiety. There are people in Northern Ireland who understand and want to help you get through this.

If you think you might need support with anxiety today, consider contacting a helpline in Northern Ireland for free, confidential help.