Sometimes anxiety is obvious.
Your heart is pounding. Your body feels tense. You can’t sit still. You know you’re anxious.
Other times, anxiety happens almost entirely inside your head.
You replay a conversation from earlier in the day. You worry about something that hasn’t happened yet. You think about work, money, your relationship, your children, your health, or something you need to deal with tomorrow.
One thought leads to another.
Before you know it, you’ve spent an hour trying to solve problems that may not even exist yet.
If you’ve ever told yourself to “just stop thinking about it,” you probably already know how ineffective that advice can be.
The goal isn’t necessarily to force your mind to become completely quiet. Instead, it can be more helpful to learn how to respond differently when anxiety takes over.
Here are several things you can try.
When anxiety is high, our instinct is often to argue with our thoughts.
We tell ourselves:
“There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Everything is going to be fine.”
“I need to stop thinking about this.”
Sometimes that works.
Often it doesn’t.
That’s because anxiety isn’t happening only in your thoughts. Your body may also be responding as though something dangerous is happening.
Try starting there.
Slow your breathing. Unclench your jaw. Drop your shoulders. Put both feet on the floor and notice what you can physically feel around you.
You don’t need to force yourself to feel relaxed.
You’re simply giving your nervous system information that, in this particular moment, you are here and you can slow down.
Anxiety is remarkably good at transporting us into the future.
What if I lose my job?
What if this relationship doesn’t work?
What if something happens to my child?
What if I made the wrong decision?
These concerns may be important, but there is a difference between dealing with a problem and mentally rehearsing every possible version of it.
When you notice your thoughts accelerating, ask:
“Is there something I need to do about this right now?”
If the answer is yes, identify the next concrete step.
If the answer is no, remind yourself that you don’t have to solve tomorrow tonight.
Anxious thoughts tend to become louder when we keep recycling them internally.
Writing them down can help.
Take a piece of paper or open a note on your phone and write down exactly what you’re worried about.
Don’t try to make it sound reasonable.
Just get it out.
Then separate your concerns into two categories:
Things I can do something about.
Things I cannot control right now.
If there is an action you can take, write down the next step.
If there isn’t, the work becomes learning to tolerate uncertainty rather than continuing to search for an answer that doesn’t exist.
One of the most useful things we can learn about our minds is that thoughts are not necessarily facts.
Your brain generates thousands of thoughts every day.
Some are useful.
Some are insightful.
Some are completely inaccurate.
Anxiety tends to make frightening thoughts feel especially convincing.
“I know something bad is going to happen.”
“They probably think I’m incompetent.”
“I’m going to mess this up.”
Instead of immediately believing the thought, try changing the language.
Rather than saying:
“I’m going to fail.”
Try:
“I’m having the thought that I’m going to fail.”
It may sound like a small difference, but it creates psychological distance between you and the thought.
You can notice something without automatically accepting it as reality.
Sometimes our nervous systems simply have too much information coming in.
Emails.
Texts.
Social media.
News.
Work notifications.
Podcasts.
Videos.
Even when we’re supposedly relaxing, we’re often consuming something.
If you’re feeling particularly anxious, experiment with reducing stimulation for a little while.
Put your phone somewhere else.
Take a walk without headphones.
Sit outside.
Take a shower.
Drive without listening to anything.
Give your mind a chance to experience a few moments where nothing new is being demanded of it.
Silence can feel uncomfortable at first, particularly if you’re accustomed to constant stimulation.
That’s okay.
Anxiety creates energy.
Sometimes that energy needs somewhere to go.
You don’t necessarily need an intense workout. Walking, stretching, gardening, cleaning, swimming, or simply moving around the house can help interrupt the cycle of sitting still while your thoughts accelerate.
Movement also brings your attention back into your physical environment rather than leaving you completely absorbed in your thoughts.
Anxiety tends to grow in isolation.
Sometimes saying a fear out loud changes our relationship with it.
A trusted friend, family member, partner, or therapist can help you slow down and gain perspective.
The goal isn’t necessarily for someone else to solve the problem.
Sometimes we simply need another person to sit with us while we sort through what we’re feeling.
8. Pay Attention to What Your Anxiety Keeps Returning To
Coping strategies can help calm anxiety in the moment.
But if the same worries keep returning, it may be worth becoming curious about why.
Perhaps you’re constantly worried about disappointing people.
Maybe you have difficulty tolerating uncertainty.
Perhaps conflict makes you unusually anxious.
Maybe you feel responsible for keeping everyone around you happy.
Or perhaps your nervous system learned through earlier experiences that staying alert was necessary.
Sometimes anxiety is not random.
It has a history.
Understanding that history can help create longer lasting change.
When Is It Time to Consider Therapy?
Everyone experiences anxiety sometimes.
But if anxiety regularly interferes with your sleep, relationships, work, concentration, or ability to enjoy your life, it may be worth talking with a mental health professional.
You also don’t need to wait until anxiety becomes severe.
Therapy can help you understand your particular anxiety patterns, recognize triggers, develop healthier ways of responding to anxious thoughts, and explore the experiences underneath them.
The goal isn’t necessarily to never experience anxiety again.
Anxiety is part of being human.
The goal is to prevent anxiety from making your decisions and running your life.
At Daybreak Counseling Center, our therapists work with children, teens, adults, couples, and families experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, stress, relationship concerns, and other emotional challenges.
We offer in-person therapy in Long Beach and Cerritos as well as secure telehealth throughout California.
If your mind has been working overtime lately, you don’t have to simply become better at enduring it.
Sometimes learning how to quiet the noise begins with understanding what your mind has been trying so hard to protect you from.
About the Author
Patrick Cleveland, L.M.F.T.
August 17, 2026
