Scared or worried

Sometimes, it is right to feel worried or scared while at other times it can be because you were scared by something when you were younger or even by your imagination!

Although these might not be things we really need to worry about, it can be hard to remember that.

Maybe you worry about:

• Going to a new school & making friends
• Moving house
• Someone hurting you
• Bullying

Your imagination might have even convinced you to worry about things like the dark, thunderstorms or even monsters under the bed.

Lots of feelings come with being worried or scared. Feelings like wanting to run away, like you're frozen on the spot, having butterflies in your stomach or being short of breath.

If we feel worried or scared during the day we sometimes have nightmares at night which can make us worry even more.

But don't worry, dreams and nightmares are normal ways of getting rid of difficult feelings we have had during the day. Just remember that it's important to get help with feelings of being scared or worried if they carry on during the day and night.

To begin feeling happier, there are lots of things you can try:

• Draw your worries on a piece of paper (sometimes it doesn’t look so scary when it is drawn)
• Talk to someone in your family you know and trust about your worries or what you are scared of.
• Talk to someone whose job is to help children find ways of feeling better, such as Childline on 0800 1111
• Talk to someone at school about your worries
• Keep a diary