Understanding Anxiety
Picture this: it’s the night before a big exam or you’re about to step on stage for a performance. Your mind is doing cartwheels, your heart is racing like it’s trying to win gold at the Olympics, and your palms are sweating like you just shook hands with your favorite celebrity. That’s anxiety.
In simple terms, anxiety is the nagging feeling of worry or fear about future events. It’s like the suspense in a thriller movie—except it’s playing in your head, on repeat. The catch? Unlike that movie, anxiety doesn’t always end. It’s normal to feel anxious at times (like before asking someone out or waiting for that important email). But when it sticks around like an overplayed song and starts meddling with your day-to-day life, that’s when it shifts from a typical feeling to a potential issue.
Understanding anxiety isn’t about making it vanish but about recognizing it and taking steps to manage it.
Are You Overthinking as a Way to Dodge Your Emotions?
If you’ve been feeling anxious, chances are, you spend a lot of time spinning in your head. Maybe you believe that if you just analyze a situation hard enough, the anxiety will magically vanish. Or maybe you think that a positive mindset will somehow push those uncomfortable feelings away.
But here’s the thing: no matter how much you think, the anxiety is still there, right?
This is what we call Cognitive Bypass—using your thoughts to escape your emotions. Instead of actually feeling what’s going on, you’re trying to think your way out of it. It feels like a quick fix, but in reality, it’s just a short-term escape.
Think of it like running from the Demogorgon in Stranger Things: the more you avoid, the more it chases you. Ignoring your emotions by staying in your head only buries them deeper—and they’ll keep showing up, sometimes as anxiety, emotional numbness, or even physical tension.
Anxiety, after all, isn’t just mental—it’s that racing heart, shallow breath, tense muscles. You can’t “think” it away, because it’s rooted in your body. And just like in video games where you can’t ignore certain enemies, you can’t just out-think emotions without feeling them, too.
Here’s a tough question: How often do you try to rationalize away your feelings? Do you tell yourself “I shouldn’t feel this way” or “I just need to think positively”? When we do that, we’re missing the message our body is trying to send.
The Bottom Line
Avoiding your emotions by overthinking doesn’t heal them. It buries them—and buried feelings don’t just disappear. They show up in unexpected ways, like anxiety or stress in your body. So, maybe next time, take a deep breath, check in with yourself, and feel what’s there. Because sometimes, the only way out of anxiety is through it.
Scale of Anxiety
Feeling Nervous
That jittery buzz, like waiting for a text reply or the final over of a cricket match.
Your brain stuck on loop, replaying and dissecting every little detail.
Overthinking
Uncontrollable
Worrying
A flood of “what-ifs” that keeps your mind racing from daily tasks to future fears.
Even your go-to comfort rituals can’t ease the tension in your body or mind
Trouble Relaxing
Hyper Restlessness
Your leg’s bouncing, you can’t sit still, and your thoughts are in overdrive.
Every small annoyance feels massive, like the world’s volume is cranked too high.
Extreme Irritability
Dread
A racing heart and spiraling thoughts that scream the worst is coming.
Mapping the Feeling
What's Causing This Anxiousness?
Think of it like unraveling a mystery. Is it a deadline, a social event, or something deeper?
Where Do You Feel Anxiety in Your Body?
Some people feel it in their chest (cue the pounding heartbeat), others in their stomach (the classic butterflies). Where does it show up for you?
What Triggers This Feeling the Most?
Is it public speaking, exams, or seeing the “Read” receipt with no reply? Pinpointing the trigger helps.
What Other Emotions or Sensations Does It Bring?
Maybe your anxiety comes with a side of frustration or a dash of sadness. Understanding this combo can help you manage it better.
Anxiety 101
Handy Hacks
Reflective exercises
When to reach out to counsellors:
Here are some guidelines to help you recognize when you should consider meeting a mental health professional:
- When stress feels unmanageable: If academic pressure, deadlines, or personal responsibilities are constantly overwhelming you, hindering your daily routine and productivity.
- Persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness: When these feelings stick around for weeks and start affecting your daily life.
- Difficulty focusing or making decisions: If your ability to concentrate or think clearly is noticeably impacted.
- Struggling with relationships consistently: If you’re having recurring conflicts or difficulty connecting with friends, family, or peers.
- Feelings of anxiety or panic: When worries or fears become overwhelming or lead to panic attacks.
- Unhealthy coping mechanisms: Turning to excessive alcohol, drugs, or other risky behaviors to escape problems.
- Thoughts of self-harm or suicide: If you’ve ever felt like harming yourself or that life isn’t worth living, reach out immediately.
- Changes in sleep or appetite: Sleeping too much or too little, or significant changes in your eating habit
- When you just feel 'off': If you can’t quite pinpoint what’s wrong but feel like you’re not yourself.
- Loss of interest: If things you used to enjoy no longer feel fulfilling or exciting.