What are anxious feelings?

Anxious feelings are like when your favorite toy suddenly hides behind the couch and you don’t know where it is, your brain gets all wiggly and busy trying to find it.

Anxious feelings happen when something feels uncertain or scary, and your body starts getting ready for a surprise, just like when you’re waiting for a jump scare in a game. You might feel like your heart is running laps inside your chest, or your tummy feels all wobbly.

Imagine you're about to go on a slide at the park, but you don’t know if the slide is going to be smooth or bumpy, that’s anxious feeling. Your brain says, “Maybe I should check if the slide is okay before I jump!” and your whole body feels like it's trying to figure out what happens next.

Sometimes your brain thinks something bad might happen, even when you don’t know for sure, that’s also anxious feeling. It’s like pretending you’re playing hide-and-seek, but you think someone is hiding right behind you and you can’t see them yet!