Slow your breathing out
Breathe in for 4 counts, out for 6. A longer out-breath signals safety to your nervous system. Two minutes is enough to lower the physical spike.
Anxiety
Understand what anxiety is, recognise the signs, and learn practical ways to calm your body and mind.
Understanding it
What this means
Anxiety is the body's normal response to danger or uncertainty. It becomes a difficulty when the worry is frequent or intense, arrives without a clear trigger, or starts to shrink your daily life.
According to the World Health Organization, anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health conditions in the world — and they are also among the most treatable. Learning what happens in your body during anxiety is often the first step towards feeling more in control.
Anxiety is not weakness, and it is not something you have caused. It responds well to practice: skills such as slow breathing, grounding and gently facing avoided situations become stronger the more you use them.
Common signs
- Constant worry that is hard to switch off
- A racing heart, tight chest, or shallow breathing
- Feeling restless, on edge, or unable to settle
- Trouble concentrating or a mind that goes blank
- Difficulty falling asleep because your thoughts keep running
- Avoiding places, people or tasks that feel overwhelming
- Stomach upset, nausea, headaches or muscle tension
This page is educational and is not a diagnosis. If these experiences last for weeks or affect daily life, speaking with a professional is a good next step.
Try it now
Interactive tools for this topic — they take just a few minutes.
Things you can try today
Ground with 5-4-3-2-1
Name 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, 1 you can taste. This pulls attention out of the worry loop and back into the room.
Write the worry down
Put the thought on paper, then ask: is this a problem I can act on today, or a 'what if'? Make a small plan for the first, and postpone the second to a set 'worry time'.
Approach, don't avoid
Avoidance calms you for minutes and grows anxiety for months. Choose one avoided step that feels a 4/10, do it, and let your body learn it was survivable.
Move your body
A brisk 10-minute walk burns off the stress chemistry anxiety produces and often clears thinking more effectively than trying to argue with the thought.
Self-care tips
- Keep caffeine low, especially after midday
- Regular meals — low blood sugar mimics anxiety symptoms
- A consistent wake-up time, even after a bad night
- Limit doomscrolling and news before bed
- Tell one trusted person how you are actually doing
Watch and learn
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Read more from verified organisations
Fact sheetAnxiety disorders — fact sheetWorld Health OrganizationOpen resource ArticleGeneralised anxiety disorder — overviewNHSOpen resource GuideUnderstanding anxiety and panic attacksMindOpen resource ArticleAnxiety — A to Z topicMental Health FoundationOpen resource ArticleAnxiety disorders — health topicNIMHOpen resource
If you need urgent help
If you are in immediate danger, call emergency services (in Afghanistan: police 119, medical 102). If you are safe but struggling, free helplines like Awaaz Afghanistan (410) can help.
Related topics
StressNotice what drains you, understand what stress does to the body, and build routines that keep pressure manageable.Sleep & RestWhy sleep shapes mood and memory, and the habits that help you fall asleep more easily and rest more deeply.Mindfulness & BreathingShort practices — breathing, grounding, mindful attention — that bring you back to the present moment.
These tools support your wellbeing — they are not therapy or an emergency service. If you are in danger, call local emergency services (in Afghanistan: police 119, medical 102).