When anxiety ramps up, it manifests in all sorts of unpleasant ways.
Sometimes it’s feeling restless for no reason, overthinking small decisions, or just carrying that constant hum of unease that never fully switches off. It can feel like your brain is working against you, jumping to the worst-case scenario before anything even happens. In those moments, it helps to have a few things to hold onto—reminders that cut through the noise, even slightly. These won’t solve everything, but they might help you feel a little more steady when it counts. Here are some things worth remembering when your anxiety’s running the show.
1. Not every thought needs your attention.
When anxiety is high, thoughts come in fast and loud. Some feel urgent, others sound convincing, but that doesn’t mean they’re true or helpful. You don’t need to engage with every single one of them. Letting a thought pass doesn’t mean ignoring your problems — it just means you’re not reacting to every mental notification your brain throws at you.
Try viewing those thoughts like pop-up ads. You don’t need to click on them to know they’re there. The more you practise not chasing every worry, the less power those thoughts hold over you. It’s not about control; it’s about choosing what’s worth your energy.
2. You haven’t failed just because you feel overwhelmed.
Anxiety often makes people feel like they’ve done something wrong. If you’re not coping, if your day’s falling apart, or if you’re frozen and can’t explain why, it can feel like personal failure. However, feeling overwhelmed isn’t failure. It’s a human reaction to stress, exhaustion, or pressure building up as time goes on.
You’re not broken for having limits. You’re not lazy for needing space. The fact that you’re still trying to move through it, however slowly, already shows strength. The pressure to be calm and functional all the time is unrealistic, and letting go of that expectation is often the first step to feeling a bit lighter.
3. You don’t need to solve everything all at once.
Anxiety loves to bundle everything together. Suddenly, your to-do list, your future, and that awkward thing you said five years ago are all competing for attention. It makes you feel like you have to fix it all right now or everything will fall apart. That kind of pressure is impossible to carry, and unnecessary.
The truth is, most things can wait. You don’t need to sort your entire life in one sitting. Pick the thing in front of you. One email, one errand, one meal. Let that be enough for now. Calming your nervous system isn’t procrastination. It’s part of getting things done in a way that’s actually sustainable.
4. Your body isn’t betraying you—it’s reacting to stress.
When your heart’s racing, your hands are shaky, or your chest feels tight, it’s easy to panic about the physical symptoms. But those sensations are part of your body’s way of protecting you. They don’t mean something terrible is happening. Instead, they mean your system is on high alert, even if the threat isn’t real.
You don’t need to force yourself to calm down immediately. Sometimes the best thing you can do is acknowledge what you’re feeling, breathe through it slowly, and remind yourself that this is a stress response, not a sign that you’re in danger. That change in perspective can take the edge off just enough to get through the moment.
5. Avoiding everything won’t make it disappear
When you’re anxious, avoidance feels like relief. Cancel the plan, ignore the task, scroll instead of face what’s bothering you—and for a little while, it works. However, avoidance doesn’t solve the feeling. It just delays it, and often makes it harder to come back to later.
The alternative doesn’t have to be full exposure. Start small. Tackle the one thing you’ve been putting off for days. Re-engage with the part of your life that feels safest. Even five minutes of doing the hard thing gently reminds your brain that you’re capable, even if it’s uncomfortable.
6. You’re allowed to ask for reassurance.
There’s often a voice in your head that says, “Don’t be annoying. Don’t bother anyone. You should know how to handle this by now.” But that voice is anxiety talking. You’re not a burden for needing a bit of extra support.
Asking someone to listen, check in, or just sit with you isn’t weakness, it’s connection—and connection is one of the most effective ways to soothe anxiety. You don’t have to be endlessly self-reliant to be strong. Sometimes being strong means knowing when to reach out.
7. You’re more than your anxious thoughts.
When anxiety’s loud, it can be hard to tell where it ends and you begin. The thoughts feel personal, like they define you, but they don’t. Thoughts are temporary. They’re not instructions or truths. They’re just passing reactions to stress, fatigue, or fear.
You can have a scary thought without needing to act on it. You can notice it and move on. You don’t need to trust every anxious message your brain throws at you, especially when it’s not rooted in what you actually believe when things are calm.
8. You don’t have to “look okay” to be coping.
Some people smile through anxiety; others go quiet. Some over-function and stay busy, while others check out completely. However it shows up, there’s no one way to appear “okay.” Just because you’re not falling apart on the outside doesn’t mean things aren’t hard inside.
Stop judging yourself for how you’re presenting. Whether you’re holding it together or barely hanging on, you’re still doing your best. It’s not about appearances; it’s about recognising what you’re carrying and giving yourself credit for managing it.
9. You’re allowed to slow everything down.
When you feel overwhelmed, your instinct might be to speed up—solve it faster, figure it out now. But anxiety can’t be rushed out of. Often the most helpful thing is to slow the pace, even if it feels uncomfortable at first.
Try taking five full breaths, walking instead of running, answering one message instead of ten. Slowing down isn’t the same as giving up. It’s choosing to move in a way that doesn’t burn you out further, and that choice matters more than it feels like in the moment.
10. It’s okay to repeat things that helped before.
Sometimes you’ll find something that works—a walk, a breathing technique, a distraction—and then forget about it when things get bad again. That doesn’t mean you’re back at square one. It just means you need a reminder.
There’s nothing weak or silly about going back to the basics. If something helped you once, there’s no shame in using it again. Repetition doesn’t mean failure; it means you’re learning how to care for yourself, even when your brain’s working against you.
11. Being productive isn’t the goal—being okay is.
Anxiety often comes with a side of guilt. You’re not only struggling; you’re beating yourself up for not doing enough while you’re struggling. However, pushing harder won’t magically fix how you feel. Sometimes productivity has to take a back seat.
Give yourself permission to not perform at your usual level when your capacity is lower. You’re not falling behind; you’re adjusting to what’s real. That’s not laziness, it’s necessary. Getting through the day is enough.
12. You don’t need to find meaning in every anxious moment.
It’s tempting to over-analyse anxiety. Why did this happen today? What triggered it? What does it say about me? However, sometimes there’s no deep reason—just a lot going on, and your body reacting to that weight. Letting the moment pass without dissecting it can be freeing. You’re not required to turn every emotional wave into a lesson. Sometimes you just ride it out, rest, and move on without needing to explain it.
13. Your brain is working overtime, not failing.
When you can’t concentrate, make decisions, or even form a full sentence because you’re overwhelmed, it can feel like something’s wrong with you. However, your brain’s just maxed out. It’s trying to protect you—it’s just overdoing it. That fogginess, that indecision, that loop of panic—it’s not who you are, it’s what happens when your brain’s overloaded. With time, space, and rest, that fog will lift. It always does.
14. You’re still allowed to have good moments.
When anxiety is high, any moment of peace can feel undeserved. You might even feel guilty for laughing or enjoying something when everything else feels messy. Of course, anxiety doesn’t cancel your right to joy.
Let the good things in when they show up, even if they’re small or brief. You don’t have to wait for your mind to be calm to enjoy a cup of tea, a joke, or some sunshine. Those are the moments that gently remind you that things won’t always feel like this.
15. This won’t last forever, even if it feels endless.
In the middle of a spiral, it’s easy to believe that this is your new normal. That it’ll never calm down or go back to how things were. However, that’s the anxiety talking, and anxiety’s not a reliable narrator.
You’ve had better days before, and they’ll come back again. No feeling lasts forever, even if it overstays its welcome. Ride it out, don’t judge yourself for it, and keep going. Calm doesn’t always return quickly, but it always returns.
