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ANXIETY

What to do when anxiety feels overwhelming

Anxiety often creates pressure to understand and solve everything immediately. It is usually more useful to reduce overload first, then examine the thought itself.

A small step now

If anxiety is high right now

  1. Put both feet on the floor and name five things you can see.
  2. Take several calm exhales that are slightly longer than the inhale.
  3. Finish the sentence: “Right now I am afraid that…”

Why anxiety feels urgent

When the nervous system detects possible danger, attention narrows and uncertainty becomes harder to tolerate. A thought can start to feel like evidence even when it is still only a prediction.

Work through the thought

Write the thought down and separate what is known from what is predicted.

  • What is a fact I can verify?
  • What am I predicting?
  • What small next step is within my control?

What often makes anxiety worse

  • Searching endlessly for certainty.
  • Repeated checking.
  • Demanding that anxiety disappear immediately.
  • Trying to solve everything while highly activated.

When professional support may help

If anxiety persistently disrupts sleep, work, study, social life, or daily functioning, consider speaking with a qualified mental health professional. Seek emergency help if there is immediate danger.

FROM GUIDE TO YOUR OWN CONTEXT

Work through one anxious thought

In I Hear You you can describe the situation in text or by voice, separate facts from predictions, and keep the context for later.

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