BBC Young reporter: 'How chickens help with my anxiety'
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BBC Young Reporter: 'How chickens help with my anxiety'
During lockdown many children and young people experienced mental health and wellbeing issues.
Isla, 12, says she has always had slight anxiety but it got worse as she got older.
When the UK went into lockdown to try and stop the spread of coronavirus in March 2020, she says it got especially bad.
For Isla, help came from an unexpected source - her chickens!
What is anxiety?
Feeling anxious is a feeling of nervousness, fright or worry. Some people find it difficult to control their worries, they can become overwhelming and affect their everyday lives, this is often called anxiety.
Isla's story
Isla has always worried and had slight anxiety, but when she was aged eight or nine it began to get worse.
In March 2020 when the UK first went into lockdown her anxiety got especially bad.
Like many children she didn't have anything to do and was unable to see her friends.
Later on, schools closed for long periods of time which meant children had to stay at home all the time.
More on anxiety
Isla was constantly worrying.
Isla's family have always had chickens. Although they were usually kept in a coop or chicken house at around this time they decided to let them out.
The chickens really helped Isla cope with her anxiety.
If she was worried she would go outside and spend time with them.
"They were just so funny and adorable that I could just enjoy them without having to think of all the other stuff," Isla told Newsround presenter Shanequa.
"I'll always have anxiety because that's just who I am, but I've got better ways of dealing with it now," she added
Ways of coping with anxiety
Being with her chickens is how Isla copes with her anxiety, but there are lots of different things that might help if you are going through something similar.
Many people experience feeling anxious, scared, nervous or stressed from time to time.
But if it's something that is getting in the way of your life then the most important thing is that you go to speak to an adult you trust so that they can help you.
Need help?
If you are worried about feeling anxious but you are not sure who to speak to, call Childline on 0800 1111 or visit
There are other things that people use to control or reduce their anxiety.
These are some of the ways people with anxiety manage their symptoms.
- Healthy eating: Skipping meals and eating lots of sugary snacks can often make anxiety worse, so it's good to try and eat healthily to manage anxiety.
- Sleep: Lack of sleep can make us feel stressed out and worried. An early night can do a lot to help your mental health. Check out our top sleep tips here.
- Exercise: Sometimes all that anxious energy has to go somewhere! Exercise has been proven to significantly reduce anxiety and boost positive thinking.
- Mindfulness: Mindfulness can be a tricky thing to understand, but essentially it is a way to focus your mind to take control of negative thinking.
- Breathing: Often, when we're anxious, we take smaller, quicker breaths - try breathing in for three seconds then breathing out for five seconds until you feel calmer.
- Published22 September 2020
- Published30 June 2020
