In daily life, most of us will find ourselves in situations that cause anxiety.
Being anxious - that feeling of being unsettled, uneasy or scared - is a natural human response to stress and is designed to protect us from a perceived danger. This is often known as the fight, flight or freeze response.
Usually, we can manage these feelings and they pass over time, but sometimes they can become overwhelming, affecting our ability to get on with our lives.
Anxiety can take many forms and, if you are worried about it, we can talk to you and help you to access support.
There are lots of things in daily life that can cause anxiety.
This could be linked to something specific like:
However, in many cases, you might not be able to identify what’s making you anxious.
Many of the services that are there to support people with mental health will be able to work with you to identify the factors that contribute to your anxiety and help you work through them.
People who are experiencing anxiety will often experience symptoms that affect them emotionally and physically.
Many of these symptoms are normal responses to stressful situations but could indicate a mental health issue if they are experienced either over a prolonged period of time (weeks and months) or are particularly intensely.
You may find that:
Anxiety takes many forms, and services that are there to support people with mental health will be able to work with you to identify the factors that contribute to your anxiety and help you work through them.
When feeling anxious it can be hard to think about what next steps to take. Here are a few ways to help manage anxiety.
As with other mental health conditions, gay, bisexual and all me who have sex with men are disproportionately affected by issues around anxiety.
Our experiences of mental health are closely linked to the challenges we face as a community, from experience of homophobia and discrimination to accepting our own identity and the pressure to conform to a heteronormative society, sometimes known as minority stress.
Our mental health is also shaped by other health inequalities. From higher rates of poor sexual health and alcohol/substance use to pressures within our own communities, such as body image and age.
Anxiety often impacts trans men’s ability to live their lives as they wish.
There are a number of different reasons trans men may experience anxiety from issues accessing healthcare, discrimination in the workplace, and coming out.
Anxiety can often be linked to the process of transitioning and experiences of interactions with health professionals. These professionals can play a pivotal role in whether they are able to transition.
During points of anxiety, community support, including friends and social groups (both in person and online) can make a very real difference for your wellbeing.