Anxiety: Your Brain on Overdrive (And How to Hit the Brakes)

Picture this: You’re sitting in traffic, late for work, and suddenly your brain decides that now is the perfect time to remind you about that awkward thing you said in 2007. Your heart starts pounding, your palms get sweaty, and you’re convinced that your boss will fire you, your dog will disown you, and you’ll have to live in the woods eating berries.

Welcome to anxiety—your brain’s way of trying to protect you but somehow making everything worse. But don’t worry. As a licensed professional counselor, I’ve got some empirically proven strategies to help you stop catastrophizing and start feeling like a functional human again.

1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Because Your Brain Is a Drama Queen

CBT is one of the most research-backed treatments for anxiety, and for good reason. Your thoughts shape your feelings, and your feelings shape your behaviors. So when your brain is shouting, “WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!” CBT helps you challenge that thought with something more reasonable, like, “We are probably not going to die just because we sent an email with a typo.”

Try This:

When you catch yourself thinking worst-case scenarios, ask: What’s the actual evidence for this? and What’s the worst that could realistically happen? Chances are, your dog will still love you, even if you embarrass yourself at work.

2. Deep Breathing: Because Oxygen Is Free (And It Works)

Your anxious brain loves to overreact, and your nervous system happily joins the party by cranking up your heart rate. Luckily, deep breathing can signal to your body that everything is okay. It’s like telling your nervous system, “Calm down, Karen, we’re not being chased by a bear.”

Try This:

Breathe in for four seconds, hold for four seconds, and exhale for six seconds. Repeat. (If you get dizzy, that means you’re doing it right. Just sit down, champ.)

3. Exposure Therapy: Making Anxiety Your Frenemy

Avoiding what makes you anxious seems like a good idea—until it makes everything worse. Exposure therapy involves gradually facing your fears in manageable steps so your brain can learn, “Oh, maybe I won’t actually explode into a ball of flames if I talk to a stranger.”

Try This:

Start small. If social anxiety has you avoiding phone calls, practice ordering pizza over the phone. Worst case? You get pizza. Best case? You get pizza and conquer your fear.

4. Exercise: Nature’s Anti-Anxiety Medication

Exercise helps burn off stress hormones, releases endorphins (aka happy brain chemicals), and reminds your body that it’s strong and capable. Plus, if you’re running, it’s harder for anxiety to catch you. (Kidding… kind of.)

Try This:

Pick something you don’t hate. Dance, hike, lift weights, or do aggressive yoga.

5. Mindfulness: Because Worrying About the Future is a Full-Time Job

Mindfulness is about staying present instead of time-traveling to the future where everything is terrible. It’s scientifically proven to reduce anxiety, and no, you don’t have to become a monk to do it.

Try This:

Use the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique: Name 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, and 1 you can taste. (Unless you’re in a questionable public bathroom. Then skip the last one.)

6. Sleep: Because Your Brain Needs a Nap

Anxiety and sleep deprivation are best friends. The less you sleep, the more anxious you feel. The more anxious you feel, the less you sleep. It’s a toxic relationship, but one you can break up with.

Try This:

No screens before bed (yes, even TikTok).

Keep a consistent sleep schedule. Your brain loves a routine.

If you wake up at 3 a.m. thinking about that thing you said in high school, write it down. Your 3 a.m. brain is not a problem-solving machine—it’s just a drama llama.

7. Self-Compassion: Because You’re Not a Failure, You’re a Human

Anxiety loves to tell you that you’re weak or that something is wrong with you. But newsflash: anxiety is just proof that your nervous system is working (a little too hard, but still). Be kind to yourself.

Try This:

Talk to yourself like you would to a friend. Would you tell a friend they’re doomed because they stumbled over their words? No? Then don’t say it to yourself.

Final Thoughts: You’ve Got This

Anxiety might feel like a relentless, over-caffeinated squirrel in your brain, but you are not powerless. With some practice, patience, and maybe a little humor, you can retrain your mind to be less of a doomsday machine and more of a rational, functional member of society. And if all else fails—deep breaths and pizza. Always pizza.