What’s happening

Anxiety is your body’s alarm system doing its job a little too well. When your brain senses a possible threat, it speeds up your heart and breathing and pulls your attention toward “what if.” That’s useful when the danger is real. When it fires for everyday uncertainty, like an unanswered text or a work deadline, it can leave you exhausted and stuck in loops.

Overthinking often feels like problem-solving, but it rarely reaches a solution. Going over the same worry again and again tends to keep anxiety going rather than settling it. The aim isn’t to never feel anxious. It’s to notice the loop sooner and have a few ways to step out of it.

Tools to try

• 60-Second Grounding Exercise (PDF) — a quick reset when anxiety or overwhelm pulls you out of the present.
• Journaling Prompts for Anxiety & Rumination (PDF) — for when your thoughts keep looping.
• Name the Feeling emotion wheel (PDF) — to find the word that actually fits what you feel.

Learn more

• Understanding anxiety
• Understanding panic attacks
• Anxiety vs fear: how to tell the difference

Suggested next steps

• Practise the grounding exercise once a day while you feel calm, so it’s easier to reach for when you don’t.
• Give worry a set time: 10 to 15 minutes with the journaling prompts, then close the notebook.
• If anxiety is shaping your days, your sleep or your relationships, that’s a good reason to talk to someone.

This page is for general education. It is not a diagnosis and not a substitute for care from a regulated health professional. Last reviewed: October 2026.