Does this feel familiar?
You’ve rehearsed a two-line email four times before sending it.
Your phone buzzes and your stomach drops before you’ve even looked at it.
You wake at 4am with your heart pounding and a list of everything that could go wrong.
Everyone thinks you’re calm and organised, and nobody sees how hard you’re working to keep it that way.
What might be going on
Anxiety starts in the part of your brain designed to keep you safe. When it senses a threat, it floods your body with adrenaline and cortisol so you can act fast. That’s brilliant when a bus is coming. It’s exhausting when the ‘threat’ is an inbox, a conversation or an uncertain future.
Over time, the alarm can become oversensitive and go off at smaller and smaller triggers. That’s why anxiety often feels physical first, with a tight chest, shallow breath, nausea or tense shoulders, before you’ve even noticed a worried thought.
The good news is that this system can be retrained. Talking therapies help with the thoughts. Body-based approaches help your nervous system learn what safe feels like again. Many people do best with a mix of both.
One small thing. Just for today.
Next time your chest tightens, breathe in for four counts and out for six. Do it five times. A longer exhale tells your body it’s safe to slow down.
Let’s untangle a few assumptions
Support can look different
A little perspective
The NHS estimates that generalised anxiety disorder affects up to 5% of the UK population, and it’s slightly more common in women. Many more people live with anxiety that never gets a formal diagnosis.
Questions you might be asking
When to get medical help
See your GP if anxiety is affecting your daily life, if you’re having panic attacks, or if you’re avoiding places and people because of it. In England you can also refer yourself to NHS Talking Therapies. If you feel unable to keep yourself safe, call 999, or NHS 111 and choose option 2.
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