What Is Your Anxiety Really Telling You?
Feeling overwhelmed by racing thoughts and restlessness? You're definitely not alone. Let's think about what your anxiety might be trying to tell you...
Anxiety is a signal from your brain and body trying to keep you safe. They’re constantly scanning for potential threats, often before you even notice!
Sometimes, though, our internal alarm becomes oversensitive. Without coping skills, anxiety can grow in ways that can be debilitating rather than helping us manage a situation quickly and move on.
When anxiety kicks in, your heart races, your stomach churns, and your thoughts start spinning. But instead of getting stuck in “What’s wrong with me?”, I want you to shift to a better question: “What is my brain trying to tell me?”
The sooner you recognize anxiety’s signals, the more control you have over it. Here’s one strategy that helps:
The 3-Part Anxiety Check-In
This simple framework helps spot anxiety before it spirals.
Body Check: What’s happening physically?
Your body speaks before your mind catches up. Anxiety might show up as:
✔️A tight chest or shallow breathing
✔️Warm hands, jittery legs, or a tense jaw
✔️Butterflies in your stomach
When you feel these, pause, take one slow breath, and notice what your body is trying to communicate before jumping into panic mode.
Thought Check: What story is my brain telling me?
Your thoughts drive anxiety. But just because you think something doesn’t mean it’s true. Ask yourself:
✔️Am I predicting disaster?
✔️Am I assuming the worst without evidence?
✔️Would I say this to a friend in the same situation?
The goal isn’t to force “positive thinking,” or to just ignore a problem, pretend it's not there, or hope it will magically solve itself. Instead, it's about realistically questioning those anxious thoughts. It’s to catch and question the anxious thoughts before they take over.
Surroundings Check: What just triggered this?
Your brain doesn’t fire off anxiety randomly; there’s always a trigger. Maybe it was:
✔️A tough conversation
✔️A crowded room
✔️A thought that reminded you of something stressful
Recognizing your triggers helps you regain control over your feelings. Instead of being caught off guard by anxiety, you can begin to notice recurring patterns in your responses. Once you're aware of these patterns, you have the power to change them. This newfound awareness allows you to reclaim a sense of control in your life.
In The Mental Path Podcast, Episode 9, I break down exactly how anxiety works: physiologically, neurologically, and psychologically, so you can recognize it early and take control.
🎧 Listen now on YouTube, Apple Podcast, and Spotify. The more you understand your personal anxiety patterns, the easier it is to manage them.