Alex's Answer

Hi, and welcome to Ask Alex. 

Thank you so much for trusting us with your thoughts. We know it can be very difficult  for  anyone to open up and discuss their worries and fears, but it’s so important to offload these concerns and get the support you need.  

We’re sorry to hear that you are panicking, it must be tough dealing with this. You made a really positive decision for yourself by expressing your feelings and trying to get some help. Feeling panicked sometimes is a natural emotion for everyone however it can be problematic if we have these feelings more often or more intensely than we should. It’s completely understandable that you might find this worrying.  

Feeling panicked can be a very scary and stressful experience and a lot of people of all ages require some help and support in order to manage these feelings. You are not alone in this and there are options you can explore to help you make things better for yourself. First of all, it might be useful to try and identify the situations or events that trigger these feelings of being scared or panicked. If you have an idea of what’s causing you to feel this way, it might make things easier for you to manage. Awareness is key and is the first step towards helping you make changes that are healthy and constructive.

To help cope with feelings of panic in the moment, you could try grounding and/or breathing exercises. You might find the following articles helpful: https://livingwell.org.au/well-being/mental-health/grounding-exercises/; https://www.therapistaid.com/therapy-article/grounding-techniques-article. Another useful website is www.jigsaw.ie, they are a mental health organisation and do work around anxiety and young people. You are not alone in dealing with these difficulties, there are many groups and organisations out there to help you.  

It can also be useful to talk to others about this. Would you have a trusted adult you could discuss it with? This can be a family member like parent, aunt, uncle, grandparent, or someone outside of the family like a teacher, neighbour or sports coach. You might find that some of the adults in your life may have gone through a similar situation when they were younger and would be able to give you advice. They may also be able to assist you in getting professional help (from a G.P. for example), if that is what you need at this time. What is important here is you, and that you are treated with respect and kindness.    

If you feel that you do not have a trusted adult you can speak to right now, keep in mind that Childline is here and ready to listen to any concerns or issues you may have. Childline is a free and confidential listening service which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can contact Childline through a telephone service on 1800 66 66 66 or text service on 50101 or by web chat which you can access at www.childline.ie.   

We hope that this answer is helpful to you and that you’re able to find a way to cope with how you’ve been feeling. Feel free to get in touch again anytime.  

Take care,  

Alex.