If you need help right now, you are not alone. Find urgent help

A Scottish charity in Ayr

Worry is easier to shift early.

We help people across South Ayrshire understand what is happening and find practical ways to cope, long before things reach breaking point.

Try something right now See how we can help

Free, right now, no sign-up

Five things you can try today.

You do not need an appointment, an account or anyone's permission. Nothing here is saved and nothing is sent anywhere. Close the page and it is gone.

Breathe out for longer than you breathe in

Five slow rounds. In for four, hold for two, out for six. The longer out breath is the part that helps settle a racing body.

Ready

Stop whenever you like. If you feel lightheaded, breathe normally and try a shorter version another time.

Come back to the room

Five senses, one at a time. There are no right answers and nobody is checking.

5

things you can see

Take as long as you like on each one. Naming them out loud helps, if you are somewhere you can.

Put it down for now

Worrying often feels like it has to happen right now. Writing it down and choosing when to come back to it gives your head permission to stop circling.

Nothing you type is saved or sent. It stays on this page and disappears when you close it.

Is this one you can do something about?

Most worries fall into three piles, and each pile needs something different. Write one down and see where it lands.

Nothing to achieve here

This one opens full screen, so there is nothing else on the page competing for your attention. There is no score, no timer and no way to get it wrong. Some people find a minute of it quietens a busy head.

If it does not help, that is fine too. Different things work for different people.

If that was not enough

Some things a page cannot fix.

If none of that helped, or you would rather talk it through with someone, we would like to hear from you. There is nothing you need to have worked out first.

What should we call you?

A first name is plenty. You do not have to give your real one.

What is going on just now?

Pick whatever is closest, or write your own. A few words is fine.

How should we get back to you?

An email address or a phone number, whichever you would rather.

Happy for us to have this?

Nothing is sent until you say so.

Name
About
Reply to

That took something. Thank you.

Getting in touch is often the hardest part, and you have done it.

A person will read this, not a system. We usually come back to people within two working days, and there is nothing else you need to do in the meantime.

Please do not wait on us if things feel urgent. This form is not checked around the clock. For help right now, call NHS 24 on 111, or Samaritans on 116 123 at any hour. In an emergency call 999.

Ways we can help

Start wherever feels right.

We offer several kinds of support, from simply reading something useful through to one-to-one work. They are listed here from lightest to most involved.

Most people do not need the most involved option. Plenty of people find what they need in the first two.

Light

Help me now Self-guided support

Something you can use straight away. Simple, practical tools to help you pause, settle and get a little control back. No sign-up, nothing saved.

Try a tool now. Short self-guided sessions to work through in your own time are in development.

Available now
Light

Help me understand Information & understanding

Help making sense of what is happening. Clear information about anxiety and the patterns that keep it going, yours to read, watch or listen to without speaking to anyone.

Written guides and leaflets are being developed. The tools further up this page are ready now.

Available now
Moderate

Guide me Guided support

If you would like to talk to someone. One to three conversations with a trained Calm Coach, working out what is going on and what to do next, at a level that suits you.

Talking it through, goal setting, practical planning.

Coming
Moderate

Learn together Workshops & groups

Support for people, families and communities. Practical workshops, groups and resources for children, young people, adults, parents, schools and community organisations, without anyone being asked to talk about themselves.

Awareness sessions and practical skills groups.

Coming
Higher

CARE Specialist Support™

More individual support when it is needed. Structured, person-centred one-to-one support designed to reduce the impact of anxiety and build understanding, confidence and independence. Where appropriate, it can include evidence-informed therapeutic and practical interventions, delivered by appropriately trained practitioners working within their competence and within our own standards.

Structured across four sessions, with a conversation beforehand to check it is right for you. It is not a replacement for care from your GP or the NHS.

Coming
Any

Connect me Connection & signposting

Sometimes the right support is not us, and saying so is part of the job. We will help you find appropriate health, specialist, charitable or community support, whether that is your GP, the NHS, a counsellor or another charity.

This counts as a good outcome, not a failure.

Always

We do not fit the person to a therapy. We work out what level of support is right for them, and use the right tools within the CARE framework.

How we work

Four steps, deliberately simple.

Everything we do runs on the same four steps, whichever way you come to us. People under strain do not need a complicated model to remember.

C

Connect

We start with you, not the problem. Working out what is actually going on and which kind of help would suit.

A

Acknowledge

Understanding what anxiety does and why. It loses a lot of its grip once you can describe it plainly.

R

Restore

Rebuilding the everyday things worry wears down first. Sleep, routine, and the sense of being able to cope.

E

Empower

Handing over the tools. The point is that you leave able to manage without us, not needing us forever.

What changes

Real stories, told honestly.

We ask the same questions at the start and at the end of our support, every time. It keeps us honest about whether we helped, and it means we can show you rather than tell you.

Real stories will appear here as people come through our support and choose to share them.

Anyone who shares their story decides how they are named, a first name or fully anonymous, knows exactly where it will appear, and can withdraw it at any time.

We will not publish results we cannot evidence. When the stories arrive, they will be real ones.

Who we are for

Worry does not stick to one age group.

Neither do we. What changes is how we go about it, not whether we can help.

Children and young people

Support that suits their age, alongside families and, where it helps, with schools and youth services.

Adults

People dealing with worry around work, health, money, relationships or change, who want something practical rather than a label.

Families and communities

Supporting someone anxious is hard too. Awareness sessions for families, groups and local organisations.

Who we are

Why AAI exists.

Alan Currie, founder of Anxiety Aid International Alan Currie
Founder & Trustee

Anxiety Aid International was founded by Alan Currie, a former Registered Mental Nurse, author and anxiety specialist.

Alan's understanding of anxiety began much earlier. Growing up with a mother who experienced anxiety showed him how deeply it can affect not only one person, but an entire family.

Later, through mental health nursing and decades of working with people experiencing anxiety, one gap became increasingly clear.

Too many people struggle for too long before they understand what is happening or find the right support.

Children, teenagers, adults and families can all be affected. Existing health, statutory, charitable and community services do essential work, but demand is significant and accessible early support matters. AAI was created to help bridge that gap.

AAI is beginning in Ayr and South Ayrshire. Our aim is to develop, evaluate and strengthen the model locally, demonstrate its impact, and then expand responsibly across Scotland, the UK and, in time, internationally.

Start locally. Prove what works. Build from there.

Our trustees.

Anxiety Aid International is governed by its Board of Trustees, responsible for the charity's direction, governance and public benefit.

Alan Currie

Founder & Trustee. Former Registered Mental Nurse, author and anxiety specialist, with decades of experience supporting people affected by anxiety.

John Patterson

Trustee. A self-employed business owner bringing practical business experience, sound judgement, problem solving and a strong community perspective.

Nicola McLean

Trustee. Contributes to the governance, oversight and responsible development of Anxiety Aid International.

Anxiety Aid International is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registered with the Scottish Charity Regulator, OSCR. Scottish Charity Number SC055392.

Being straight about what we are.

Anxiety Aid International provides a range of support, from information, education and self-guided resources through to guided and specialist one-to-one support.

Where appropriate, CARE Specialist Support™ may incorporate evidence-informed therapeutic and practical interventions, delivered by appropriately trained practitioners working within their competence and within our defined standards.

We do not diagnose medical or psychiatric conditions, and we are not a crisis or emergency service. We are not a replacement for your GP or the NHS. If you are already getting help, please keep getting it.

If we think someone else would serve you better, we will say so and help you get there. That is part of the job, not a failure of it.

We are a young charity. We currently work across South Ayrshire, and we will say plainly what we can and cannot yet offer rather than promise more than we can deliver.

Urgent help

If you need help right now.

These are free and they are open. You do not need to be at breaking point to use them, and reaching out early is exactly the point.

If life is in immediate danger 999

Emergency services.

Urgent mental health help, any age NHS 24, dial 111

Free, day or night. Ask for the mental health hub.

Someone to talk to, any time Samaritans, 116 123

Free, 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

Low mood, worry, distress. Age 16+ Breathing Space, 0800 83 85 87

Scotland's confidential listening service. Weekday evenings and all weekend.

If you would rather text than talk Text SHOUT to 85258

Free, 24 hours a day. In South Ayrshire you can also text SAC to 85258.

BSL users contactSCOTLAND-BSL

A free video relay service connecting you to any of the above.

Get help

You do not need to know what kind of support you need.

Tell us a little about what is happening, and we will help you find the right next step. No referral needed, and no diagnosis needed.

For myself

Looking for support for yourself? Start with the form below, or with the tools at the top of the page.

Get support

For someone else

Looking for help for your child, teenager, family member or someone you support? Tell us who it is about and we will take it from there.

Get support

Professional referral

A GP, link worker, school, community organisation or other professional looking to refer someone?

Make a referral

1Tell us what is happeningAnswer a few simple questions about what is going on.
2We listenWe consider what you have told us and whether AAI can help.
3We contact youWe explain your options and help you find the right next step.
4You move forwardThat may be support from AAI, or help connecting with another appropriate service.

Anxiety Aid International is not an emergency or crisis service. If you or someone else is in immediate danger or needs urgent medical help, please use the urgent help information above.

Get in touch

There is no wrong way to start.

You do not need a referral from anyone. Tell us as much or as little as you like.

A first name is plenty.
An email address or a phone number, whichever suits.
You do not need to explain everything. A sentence is fine, or leave it blank.

A person reads every message, not a system. We usually reply within two working days. We are a small charity, so please bear with us.

Please note. This form is not checked around the clock, so please do not use it if you need help urgently. Use one of the numbers in the urgent help section above, day or night.

What happens next

We read it, and we reply. If we think another service would suit you better, we will tell you honestly and help you find them.

Nothing you send is shared with anyone outside the charity without your say so.

What you tell us stays within the charity. The one exception is if we believe someone is at serious risk of harm, or the law requires us to act, when we may need to share information to keep somebody safe. Our Safeguarding Policy and Privacy Notice at the bottom of this page explain how.

Or contact us directly hello@anxietyaidinternational.org

For GPs, link workers and other services

Referring someone to us.

Everything you need to decide whether we are the right fit, in one place.

Anxiety Aid International is a registered Scottish charity, SC055392, working across South Ayrshire. We provide anxiety education, early intervention and practical support. We are not a clinical service and we do not diagnose.

We are likely a fit for

  • People experiencing worry, stress or anxiety who are not currently in crisis
  • Anyone wanting practical strategies rather than a diagnosis
  • People waiting for other support who need something in the meantime
  • Children, young people, adults and families
  • Anyone who would prefer to start with information or a group

We are not a fit for

  • Anyone in crisis or at immediate risk. Please use NHS 24 on 111 or 999
  • People needing diagnosis or clinical treatment
  • Anyone whose main need is addiction, eating disorder or psychosis support
  • Situations requiring statutory intervention

How to refer

  • No formal referral form. Give the person our details, or contact us with their consent
  • We will make contact and talk through which kind of support suits
  • We will tell you if we are not the right service

Governance

  • Safeguarding and escalation policies in place
  • Registered with the Information Commissioner's Office
  • CARE Specialist Support delivered by appropriately trained practitioners, working within their competence and within AAI's defined standards
  • Trustee details published on this site, in the Who we are section

Three questions, about a minute

Start a referral conversation.

Leave us your details and we will come back to you, usually within two working days, to talk through whether we are the right fit before anyone is referred anywhere.