'I'm able to live a normal life after anxiety'

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health conditions in the UK, affecting thousands of people every year.

For young people, it can be a struggle which can have a huge impact on their daily life, something Hannah Parkes, 18, from Stroud, knows only too well.

She first started experiencing symptoms of anxiety when she was 12. It grew worse when she returned to school after the Covid lockdown. She decided to seek medical help after developing physical symptoms.

Hannah found the support she needed via the Prince's Trust, now The King's Trust, where she joined a programme designed to help her to build confidence and friendships.

"They were absolutely amazing with me," she added.

Describing her early symptoms, Hannah said she would become "dizzy and really anxious" in lesson.

"I just thought there may be something wrong with me but I was not sure what," she added.

Then, when the pandemic hit in 2020, Hannah, like thousands of children across the UK were forced to stay home.

When she returned to school six months later, her anxiety had worsened and she eventually stopped going to lessons.

"My head just constantly felt like it was spinning.

"I did not really want to talk to anyone, I completely isolated myself," Hannah said.

Hannah was given medication which she said "really helped" with her recovery and after leaving school she started a college course but was left feeling "stuck" after it was discontinued.

Little did she know that this would lead her to the help that she needed as she was then referred to The King's Trust in Gloucestershire.

"At the start I found it very hard because I was still not quite right but they adjusted to what I needed to get through it," she said.

"It felt weird to be supported. Before I felt like I was not heard and no-one understood.

"It kind of felt like I was going crazy but when I was supported it was like a relief. I did not feel as alone as I had felt before."

A year after joining the programme, Hannah said she feels "able to finally live a normal life" thanks to the support she received.

"I have definitely learned to cope with it [anxiety] and that it is part of me now. I know how to sort of control it, I have strategies to help me," she said.

One of Hannah's biggest fears was that her anxiety would stop her getting a job, but she now works at a primary school in Gloucestershire and feels hopeful about the future.

"I feel like I am going to progress - maybe with the primary school and just see how I get on. Maybe I will go back to college and just see what goes where," she said.

Hannah hopes sharing her story can help others who are struggling with anxiety.

"I would definitely say it does get better and you are not alone," she added.

"There are always people out there who are going to listen to you and support you.

"It really does get better because I was one of those people that thought I am not going to come out the other end. I am not going to get better and I really felt like that for a long long time.

"And now, finally I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel."

According to research from The King's Trust, almost half of young people in the UK (49%) feel anxious about their future on a daily basis, while 59% agree things feels frightening for their generation

The report suggests the impact of the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis is taking its toll on young people, as 45% agree anxiety around recent political and economic events affects them daily.

Speaking to BBC Radio Gloucestershire, The King's Trust's Karl Culleton said Hannah's story was a "real demonstration" of how offering support to young people can make a difference.

"I think from a perspective of anxiety, anything that a young person feels is going to stop them moving forward can be really quite isolating, especially if that person has low self-esteem," he said.

"It is down to us to understand that on an individual level as it can be so different for each young person and really get to know that person to understand what anxiety means to them.

"We can then support that young person through any of the courses and support we offer."

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