Anxiety is the body’s natural alarm system — a signal designed to keep you safe. It sharpens focus, raises awareness, and prepares you for action. But when that alarm won’t switch off, even in moments of rest, anxiety stops being protective and starts becoming exhausting.

At its core, anxiety is an overactive threat response in the brain. It’s not just “worrying too much” — it’s the nervous system stuck in survival mode, constantly scanning for danger even when none is present.

How it Feels

Anxiety can look like restlessness, but often feels like being trapped inside your own thoughts.
Your heart races, your breathing shortens, your chest tightens. Sleep becomes fragmented. You replay conversations, overanalyse decisions, and feel a constant undercurrent of “what if.”

Some people experience anxiety in specific forms — social anxiety, panic attacks, or generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) — while others describe a quieter background hum of unease that never quite goes away.

Over time, chronic anxiety can drain energy, cloud focus, and lead to physical symptoms such as tension headaches, gut issues, and fatigue.

Why it Happens

Anxiety exists on a spectrum — everyone experiences it, but for some, it becomes a chronic pattern.
It’s shaped by both biology and experience.

Neuroscientifically, anxiety is linked to heightened activity in the amygdala, the brain’s fear centre, and decreased regulation from the prefrontal cortex, which handles reasoning and calm decision-making.
It’s influenced by genetics, early life stress, trauma, and chronic inflammation.

Modern life also feeds anxiety: constant notifications, performance pressure, lack of rest, and emotional overload keep the nervous system in a perpetual “on” state.

What Helps

You can’t simply “think” your way out of anxiety — because it’s not just in your mind; it’s in your body.
The key is calming the nervous system and rebuilding a sense of safety.

Helpful approaches include:

• Therapy, especially CBT or somatic-based therapies that reconnect body and mind.
• Breathwork and meditation, which activate the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) response.
• Movement, particularly walking, yoga, or anything rhythmic.
• Limiting stimulants like caffeine or nicotine.
• Vagus nerve activation — through deep breathing, cold exposure, or humming — to ground the body.

Support can also mean medication or supplements (under professional advice) such as magnesium, saffron, or L-theanine — but these are most effective alongside therapy and lifestyle changes.

Further Reading

• NHS Anxiety Disorders Information → www.nhs.uk/conditions/generalised-anxiety-disorder
• Psychology Today: Anxiety Overview → psychologytoday.com/gb/conditions/anxiety

In short:
Anxiety is your brain’s way of saying, “I’m trying to protect you.”
Understanding that message — and learning how to reassure your body that you are safe — is where calm begins.