When Anxiety Just Wants to Be Heard…

There are moments when the heart beats faster, the breath becomes shallow, the body tightens, and the mind races from thought to thought without stopping.

For some, it has a red color; for others, black.

Some say it feels like a balloon, others like an animal, or a plant.

For some, it has a name; for others, it’s simply anxiety.

One way or another, it’s an experience most of us know.

It is not weakness — it is a natural reaction of the body when it feels threat, uncertainty, or pressure.

However, when this internal alarm system never “switches off,” anxiety stops protecting us and begins to exhaust us.

And then, we don’t have to fight it alone.

What Anxiety Really Is

Anxiety is not merely “nervousness.” It is an ancient mechanism of our brain — mainly the amygdala and the hypothalamus — that activates the body to face an impending threat. Adrenaline and cortisol are released; the heart rate increases, the muscles prepare, and the mind sharpens its focus. Our body enters full readiness to deal with what’s coming.

In small doses, this is beneficial — it keeps us alert, productive, and safe. But when the brain begins to perceive everyday challenges — a conversation, a task, a single thought — as threats, the system becomes overactive. The body lives in a state of constant “alarm,” and those who experience it become tired, fearful, withdrawn.

Where It Comes From

Anxiety has many roots:

• Biological – genetics, sensitivity of the nervous system.

• Psychological – thinking patterns that focus on danger or perfectionism.

• Relational and environmental – pressure, loss of control, insecurity, family models.

Often, anxiety appears as a way of adapting — an attempt to control a world that feels uncertain. Instead of seeing it as an enemy, we can approach it as a signal — a message from the body that something needs to change.

When Anxiety Becomes a Burden

We all feel anxious before something important. But when:

• sleep becomes disrupted,

• the body hurts without clear cause,

• the mind keeps asking “what if…”,

• fears interfere with work, relationships, or joy,

then anxiety is asking to be heard — to be given a little more attention. It doesn’t mean that “something is wrong” with us. It simply means that our system needs relief — space, time, and care.

Ways of Managing and Caring

In the fast rhythms we’re called to live in, it’s important to pause and follow one of the many effective approaches for managing anxiety.

📝 Systemic and Narrative Approach

It views anxiety not as a “problem within the person,” but as a phenomenon that makes sense within their relationships and life story. Often, behind anxiety there is a story of responsibility, care, or a longing for acceptance.

🌿 Mindfulness Therapy

Training the mind to stay in the “here and now” reduces hyperarousal in the brain and enhances calmness (Hofmann & Gómez, 2017). Just a few minutes of daily practice — conscious breathing, observing thoughts without judgment — can make a difference.

🥬 Physical Care

Regular exercise, good sleep, a diet rich in omega-3s and B vitamins, and reducing caffeine and alcohol help significantly. The body and mind are one system.

💬 Seeking Support

Reaching out to friends, groups, or mental health professionals is not a sign of weakness — it’s an act of self-care.

A Different View of Anxiety

Anxiety is not our enemy. It’s a part of us — a voice inside that looks toward the future and tries to take control, because it hears our need to always succeed, to always be loved, to always feel safe.

When we listen to it with kindness, without judgment, it begins to calm down. We don’t need to “erase” it — we only need to listen to it and learn how to care for it.