Anxiety is a normal emotion in us all, but sometimes it can get out of control and become a mental health problem. It was the theme of Mental Health Awareness Week in 2023.

Lots of things can lead to feelings of anxiety, including exam pressures, relationships, starting a new job (or losing one) or other big life events. We can also get anxious when it comes to things to do with money and not being able to meet our basic needs, like heating our home or buying food. But anxiety can be made easier to manage.

Focusing on anxiety for Mental Health Awareness Week helped increase people's awareness and understanding of anxiety by providing information on the things that can help prevent it from becoming a problem.

Why was anxiety chosen as the theme for 2023?

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Understanding and coping with anxiety

Uncertain times: Anxiety in the UK and how to tackle it

Read our in-depth look at anxiety in the UK. Based on a survey of 6,000 UK adults, the report examines what anxiety is, who’s experiencing it in the UK, how we’re coping and the things we can do to help to manage those feelings.

Read the report

What can we do to cope with feelings of anxiety?

There are lots of things which we can do to help manage feelings of anxiety, and what works will be different for everyone. We’ve got nine evidence-based things you can try to help manage feelings of anxiety.

Read the article

Visit our 'get help' page to find out more about the support available to you.

Anxiety UK

Anxiety UK was established in 1970 and is run by and for those with anxiety, offering an extensive range of support services designed to help support those affected by anxiety disorders, anxiety and anxiety-based depression.

Services available include:

Helpline services - open from 9:30am to 17:30pm Mon to Friday, along with our text service 07537 416905 and ‘Ask Anxia’ chatbot service, available 24/7 for all anxiety queries at anxietyuk.org.uk. See Helpline services for more information.

We offer fast access to a range of psychological therapy services, including counselling, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), clinical hypnotherapy & Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, with appointments available in person, online and by telephone. See Therapy services for more information.

We also run a range of courses and groups including our popular Art for Anxiety Relief (AfAR) course, anxiety management courses, and online peer-led anxiety support groups. See Support Groups for more information.