Understanding anxiety triggers and building your toolkit | Real Life

What causes anxiety, and how can you manage it effectively? In this episode of Real Life, presenter Venessa Scott speaks with Molly, YouTuber, and Justin Stephenson, Clinical Psychologist, about understanding anxiety triggers and building a toolkit that can help. Together, they explore why anxiety can feel so physical, including fight or flight, racing thoughts, tunnel vision and the body’s stress response. They discuss why naming what is happening can make anxiety feel less frightening, and why calming the body can be an important first step before working through anxious thoughts. Molly shares some of the tools that help her, including music and headphones, while Justin talks through strategies such as breathing, movement, sensory grounding and self compassionate talk. They also discuss why anxiety tools take time to practise, and why progress is not always linear. This video was created by Clinical Partners as part of Real Life, a video series sharing honest conversations, practical guidance and clinically supported advice for mental health, neurodivergence and everyday life. Continue watching Real Life: Anxiety:    • Anxiety: Avoidance, reassurance and safety...   For practical information about anxiety and when to seek support: https://www.clinical-partners.co.uk/h... We’d love to hear what you think Please share what you thought of this film in our quick two minute anonymous survey. Your feedback will help us make future Real Life films useful, relevant and shaped by the people watching them: https://cloud.care.clinical-partners.... About Molly: Molly is a content creator and lived-experience advocate who speaks openly about anxiety, ADHD and the realities of everyday life. She has a warm, genuine style and a natural ability to build a sense of community with her audience. We chose her because she can explain what anxiety actually feels like with unusual clarity, helping people recognise their own experiences without feeling judged. Her practical insights also give the audience something realistic and useful to take away. You can find her channel here: ‪@MollysADHDMayhem‬ About Justin: Justin Stephenson is a Clinical Psychologist at Clinical Partners. In this episode, he shares clinical insight into why anxiety affects the body as well as the mind, and how people can begin to build practical strategies that support them in the moment. You can view Justin's profile on the Clinical Partners website: https://www.clinical-partners.co.uk/c... CHAPTERS 0:00 Understanding triggers and building your anxiety toolkit 0:43 Molly's experience of anxiety 1:22 Positive words and affirmations 1:47 Impact of symptoms on daily life 2:15 Anxiety in the body 3:11 Balancing physical symptoms 4:42 Dealing with symptoms 5:49 A message for you 7:35 A toolkit for anxiety