Whether you’re playing a sport, preparing a speech, or getting ready to sing in front of an audience, it’s nearly impossible to control the pre-game jitters.

Besides oils and tinctures, you can now consume CBD in the form of infused gummies, gourmet desserts, and even the seltzer offered at a certain boutique gynecology office. The marketing is definitely ahead of the science, so here’s what to know about the grains of truth behind the claims.

My neighbour’s cat Felix is one of the cutest, cuddliest fireballs I know. Unlike my last cat that would prefer I left her alone all day in my apartment/her castle, Felix is the exact opposite: he hates being left alone during the day. That means our pal Felix will sit at the front door and howl, anxiously awaiting his owner’s triumphant return, our in some cases will spend his day destroying whatever he can get his paws on as a public protest to his constant abandonment.

Procrastination may be the reason you’re reading this post, but the reason you’re procrastinating in the first place might actually be anxiety.

Being a kid is tough. There’s a lot of uncertainty—about tomorrow’s doctor’s appointment, that birthday party they’re supposed to attend, or how long Mum will be on an aeroplane. Anxiety sometimes surfaces in the form of questions. So many questions. Often the same questions over and over and over. They want to, need to know: What exactly is going to happen?

Think about the last time you had an awkward interaction, or made a small mistake at work. What was your reaction?

When a teenager is really upset, parents often feel the need to do something — gather information (“Who hurt you and what’s their phone number?”), launch into a profound lecture, or maybe try a problem-solving technique they heard about in a TED talk.

For kids with anxiety, the hardest part about homework is often just starting it. Before even picking up a pencil, they construct in their heads a story about how the assignment is too difficult, too time-consuming, too much to handle. And so they shut down. Pep talks and pleas from Mum and Dad seem to only make things worse.

“If I was setting up curriculum at a university,” says engineer Foone Turing, “I’d make an entire semester-long class on the Challenger disaster, and make it required for any remotely STEM-oriented major.”

Because, says Foone, the disaster was a lot less random or simple than people tend to think. In a thread of 102 tweets, which you can read in essay form here, Foone explains the real reason behind the Challenger disaster, the 2003 Columbia disaster, the sinking of the Titanic—and the last time you melted down from anxiety.

If you have a child who struggles with anxiety, consider getting them a stuffed animal that will eat their worries away.

I used to hate the gym — not because of actual exercise per se, but purely because I was so self-conscious. I was obsessed with the idea that I’d be criticised for my shoddy squat form or brief five minutes on the treadmill — and then exiled from my gym forever, cast off onto the island of exercise pariahs. I hated it so much I’d avoid using the gym at peak hours just to avert the judgment of others, even if that meant getting my adrenaline rush at 4 AM.

The human body is marvellous. If you know how to harness its built-in superpowers, you can do so much more than you are right now. Use these small tricks to become a more efficient worker.

When we think about the way our kids might face conflict with their peers, we may have a tendency to assume our sons’ conflict is likely to be physical, whereas our daughters’ conflict will be more mental and emotional.

Worrying rarely solves anything, but many of us just can’t resist doing it whenever we should be doing something else. Instead of letting worry distract you from your life, set aside a special time for it.

No matter whether you have a mental illness or not, we all know what anxiety feels like. It's a natural part of life, a survival mechanism that helps us get by - but sometimes that mechanism goes a little haywire. Anxiety disorders make sufferers feel a heightened form of regular anxiety, yes, but it can also cause a number of physical symptoms, and can even be intensely painful at times.

If your kid is feeling anxious about something — perhaps a test or a sick relative or an upcoming shot — guided imagery can help. It’s a technique that uses mental visualisations to give one more control and a greater sense of peace.

Seeking professional help for your mental health can be life-changing, but it can feel like a scary and sometimes bewildering process for those who've never been through the system. Luckily, it's a lot easier than you'd think to get started on the right path. Here's what you need to know.

The unfortunate truth is that we’re all going to deal with hard times, whether it’s reliving trauma, losing a loved one, dealing with a physical illness, suffering from depression, and on and on. So, what are your strategies for dealing with times of high stress or anxiety? It could be things you’re doing this week or methods you’ve used in the past to overcome hard times.

When you’re depressed, any little thing — from filling a prescription to making yourself a sandwich — can seem impossible. Writer Molly Backes recently tweeted about what she calls “The Impossible Task”, and if you’ve ever struggled with your mental health, you probably know exactly what she’s talking about.