Why Am I So Anxious Right Now?!
A Practical Guide to Understanding and Responding to Uncertainty and Overwhelm
Lately, a common theme among my clients, colleagues, and friends is anxiety—not just worry about everyday challenges, but also anxiety about having anxiety and fears that it will never go away. For some, it feels like their usual coping strategies aren’t enough, while others who rarely experience anxiety find themselves confused and overwhelmed, wondering: Why is this happening, and how do I make it stop?
Anxiety is often seen as a problem, but in reality, it’s a natural and protective response that helps us navigate uncertainty and potential threats. It becomes overwhelming when we’re bombarded with more stress than our minds and bodies are built to handle—a common experience in today’s fast-paced world.
That’s why I often turn to Inside Out as a tool in my work. Both my younger and older clients have found it helpful for understanding emotions. The way the movies personify feelings—giving them distinct personalities and roles—makes it easier to explore how emotions interact and influence our behavior.
In the first Inside Out, we met Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear, each taking turns at the control panel of Riley’s mind. The film beautifully illustrates how emotions shape our experiences and why even difficult feelings, like Sadness, serve an important purpose.
With Inside Out 2, a new emotion enters the mix—Anxiety. Spiky-haired and always on edge, Anxiety takes over Riley’s mind in an effort to prepare her for life’s uncertainties. The movie highlights an important truth: Anxiety isn’t here to ruin our lives—it’s trying to protect us. But when it takes over, it can leave us feeling overwhelmed instead of just alert. By understanding why Anxiety shows up and what it’s trying to do, we can learn to work with it rather than letting it take control.
What is Anxiety, Really?
At its core, anxiety is a combination of three things:
1. Physiological Stress – The body’s automatic fight-or-flight response (e.g., increased heart rate, muscle tension, backaches, eye twitching, headaches, stomach issues etc.). There are two types:
✅ Healthy stress – Yes, healthy stress exists! Imagine you’re about to run the biggest race of your life or interview for your dream job. You’d want your adrenaline and stress levels to be slightly elevated so that you are energized and focused. This mild stress is what helps us perform at our best.
⚠️ Unhealthy stress – Unhelpful stress- this happens when we never return to baseline. If our bodies stay in a constant state of stress, it can lead to fatigue, exhaustion, and even burnout.
2. Stressors (Life Events) – External pressures outside of our control, such as job demands/changes, financial concerns, political shifts, or personal hardships.
3. Worry (Cognition) – The thoughts that amplify stress, creating a sense of uncertainty or urgency (e.g., What if I never find a job again? What will happen to my family if I’m put on administrative leave?). When we repeat these worries over and over again, we get stuck in mental loops—also known as rumination.
Tip: If you notice words like “always” and “never” in your thinking, those are often signs of all-or-nothing thinking—which is rarely true but adds fuel to anxiety.
💡Unhealthy Physiological Stress + Life Stressors + Worry = Anxiety
When managed well, anxiety keeps us motivated and alert. However, when it becomes chronic or unmanageable, it can spiral into panic—an extreme form of anxiety that can lead to panic attacks, where the body’s alarm system goes into overdrive, even in the absence of a real threat.
But here’s something to keep in mind: Feeling anxiety does not mean you have a mental illness. Just as we all have physical health that fluctuates over time, we also have mental health that requires attention and care. Some days we feel strong and resilient, while other times, we need a tune-up. Given the many changes in the world right now, it’s no surprise that many people are experiencing heightened anxiety. This doesn’t mean something is wrong with you—it means your system is reacting to the environment you’re in.
The truth is, we will all experience stress and anxiety in our lives—it’s part of the human condition. The only people who don’t experience fear are those born without an amygdala, and trust me, that’s not a good thing. Without fear, you’d walk into traffic, give strangers your banking details, and take all kinds of risks. So, anxiety isn’t the enemy—it’s about keeping it in balance.
Why The Uncertainty Right Now Feels So Overwhelming:
As humans, we have an innate need for control—we like to believe we can influence our environment. When uncertainty removes that sense of control, it triggers fear, anxiety, and stress. Uncertainty triggers stress because the human brain is wired for predictability and control. When we don’t know what’s coming next—whether in our jobs, finances, health, or relationships—our brain perceives it as a potential threat. This activates the body's stress response system, making us feel anxious, restless, and overwhelmed.
A challenge many people are facing right now is uncertainty around employment, job security, and rapid changes in the world we thought we knew. It can feel like we all learned to play by a certain set of rules—work hard, be reliable, show up, contribute—but suddenly, the game has changed. And worse, it’s not always clear what the new rules are, or if we’re even still allowed to play. Whether you’re facing potential layoffs, restructuring, budget cuts, or shifts in workplace expectations, this uncertainty can create a profound sense of instability, stress, and anxiety about the future.
Rest assured, that your brain is functioning normally. Studies show that not knowing is often more stressful than knowing something bad will happen. This is why people often prefer bad news over no news—because at least bad news gives them clarity. This rings true for my clients who have experienced job loss versus those who are in limbo. That said, did you know that losing a job or retiring is one of the top 10 most stressful life events, according to the Holmes-Rahe Stress Inventory?
This scale, which ranks major life stressors, highlights just how impactful job uncertainty can be on mental health. When we don’t have clarity about what’s next, the mind works overtime trying to anticipate every possible outcome. This kind of anticipatory anxiety makes it difficult to stay grounded in the present because we’re constantly scanning for threats, trying to prepare for an uncertain future, which is different from other animals.
In the aptly titled book, Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers , the author explains why humans struggle with stress more than animals do. Zebras experience fear when they are being chased by a lion, but once they escape, they literally shake off the stress and return to grazing. Unlike humans, they don’t sit around worrying about when the next lion attack might come. They don’t replay the chase over and over in their heads. But because we have language and imagination, our brains create future stress scenarios, keeping us in an almost constant state of alert—even when we are physically safe.
Anxiety and Overwhelm: The Cost of Too Much Information
Anxiety and overwhelm often go hand in hand, especially in the digital age. One of the biggest contributors to modern life stress is the sheer amount of information and language we are exposed to daily—from breaking news alerts to social media updates, emails, and texts. Unlike past generations, who primarily focused on immediate physical stressors, we are now tasked with filtering an overwhelming amount of digital input—some of it real, some exaggerated, and some entirely fake. This constant stream of information keeps our nervous system on high alert, making it difficult to feel grounded or at ease.
The human brain is not built to multitask like this. What we call "multitasking" is actually rapid task-switching, which drains mental energy and increases stress. Adding to this challenge, we are now required to discern what is real, what is AI-generated, what is clickbait, and what is misinformation. This heightened vigilance can trigger scarcity mentality—the feeling that there is never enough time, resources, or certainty—especially if you have a history of trauma, job instability, or personal upheaval.
In addition, our imagination can sometimes work against us. Inside Out 2, there’s a scene where Riley’s imagination runs wild, with different workers at their desks rapidly drawing images of possible scenarios. When Anxiety is in charge, all of these images turn bleak and catastrophic—every possibility looks like a disaster. But when Joy gets even a moment at the controls, the images shift, and hope enters the picture. This is exactly how our own minds work.
When anxiety takes the lead, our imagination floods us with worst-case scenarios, making the future seem overwhelming and uncertain. However, if we can pause and shift perspective—even slightly—we create space for more balanced, hopeful possibilities. Recognizing when anxiety is driving our imagination allows us to step back and ask: What else could be true? What if things go well instead?
Managing Anxiety and Overwhelm in a High-Stress World:
Understanding anxiety as a natural response rather than a personal failing allows us to shift from frustration to self-compassion. Instead of pushing ourselves to “keep up” with everything, we can be intentional about what we let in and how we proactively protect ourselves from excessive stress. We can’t control everything in our environment, but we can build skills to regulate our nervous system and approach uncertainty with more confidence.
Here are some research-backed tools that my clients have found useful and that you can add to your personal toolkit:
✔ Limit Information Overload – Be mindful of your media intake. Ask yourself: Is this information helpful, or is it just adding to my stress? Set time limits on news consumption and social media scrolling. Staying informed is important, but consider when, where, and how you receive information.
✔ Give Yourself Permission to Slow Down – Urgency culture is exhausting. Engaging in mono-tasking (focusing on one thing at a time) improves thinking and emotional regulation. Ask yourself: Do I need to answer this email now while working on something else? Do I really need to read this while eating lunch? In the movie, Riley was able to calm Anxiety down by stepping back and realizing she wasn’t in immediate danger. Similarly, pausing and reassessing can help you regain clarity.
✔ Engage Your Senses – Grounding techniques like the 5-4-3-2-1 method (name five things you see, four you touch, three you hear, two you smell, and one you taste) help anchor you in the present. Anxiety thrives in an overactive mind, but engaging your senses keeps you present. Research shows that hands-on activities (e.g., drawing, doodling, woodworking, gardening, etc) slow the brain down—helping you move from anxious loops to focus and calm.
✔ Check in with Your Basics (HALT Method) – Ask yourself: Am I Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired? Just like caring for a baby, tending to basic needs is key to emotional regulation. Also, check in with maladaptive coping habits (e.g., increased alcohol use). While alcohol may provide short-term relief, it disrupts sleep hygiene, which is another often-overlooked factor in managing anxiety.
✔ The GRAPES Framework – Ask yourself: Have I had my GRAPES today?
Gentleness – Have I been kind to myself today?
Relaxation – Did I do something to unwind?
Accomplishment – Did I complete something, even if small?
Pleasure – Have I done something enjoyable?
Exercise – Did I move my body?
Social Connection – Did I interact with someone in a meaningful way?
You won’t hit all six every day, but keeping GRAPES in mind helps balance your emotional well-being.
✔ Challenge Negative Thinking – When anxious thoughts arise, pause and ask: Is this thought based on facts, or is my brain predicting the worst? Common cognitive distortions include black-and-white thinking, catastrophizing, and emotional reasoning. Riley reframed her fears when she saw new perspectives—try asking yourself: What’s the best-case scenario? What’s a more balanced way to view this?
✔ Talk with Others (But Wisely) – Connecting with trusted friends, family, or professionals can relieve anxiety, but be mindful of how you process stress. Venting is helpful—until it isn’t. Repeatedly replaying worries without action can reinforce anxiety. Ask yourself: Am I seeking perspective, or am I getting stuck in a worry loop? Balance venting with problem-solving or constructive feedback.
✔ Use Distanced Self-Talk – Research shows that talking to yourself in the third person helps create emotional distance. Instead of saying I can’t handle this, try: You’ve handled difficult things before. You’ve got this. Some find it helpful to talk to themselves as if they were a trusted coach or mentor.
✔ Focus on Small, Sustainable Steps (Kaizen Method) – Big change feels overwhelming; small, daily improvements create momentum. Improving just 1% a day leads to a 137% increase (because of compound growth) in a year. Keep a journal of small wins—our brains tend to magnify the negative and forget the progress we’ve made.
✔ Seek Professional Support When Needed – If symptoms feel overwhelming, reaching out to a medical or mental health provider can provide valuable tools and tailored strategies. The sooner you seek support, the more empowered you’ll feel.
Final Thought: Working With Anxiety, Not Against It
Just like in Inside Out 2, Anxiety isn’t something to fight—it’s something to work with.
🚨 Spoiler Alert: The other emotions helped Riley by reminding Anxiety that Riley was safe. Anxiety didn’t need to work so hard to protect her. You can do the same for yourself by acknowledging Anxiety’s intentions: Thank you for trying to protect me, but I need you to step aside so I can steer.
Anxiety is not a personal weakness—it’s a system designed to help you. The more we understand and work with it, the more we can respond with curiosity and care rather than fear.
Huong Diep, PsyD, ABPP, is a Licensed Psychologist, international consultant, and Eligible Family Member (EFM). She is also the co-founder of Moral Courage Consulting (MCC), which provides a confidential and supportive space for healthcare providers, humanitarian aid workers, and other 'helpers' to process difficult and traumatic events that may lead to moral distress and moral injury. You can find additional resources here with an option to join our mailing list.
