Anxiety isn’t the enemy, it’s just your brain on overdrive
By Real Ray C on
I used to think anxiety meant something was wrong with me. Like if I felt my chest tighten or my thoughts start racing, it meant I was losing control or heading toward something worse. But over time, I started to understand it differently: anxiety isn’t dangerous. It’s your brain trying a little too hard to protect you.
That shift alone changed a lot.
Anxiety can still feel intense. It can mess with your sleep, make it hard to focus, drain your energy, and even affect your relationships. You start overthinking simple things, replaying conversations, and imagining worst-case scenarios. It pulls you out of the present and keeps you stuck in “what if.”
But here’s what helped me: instead of fighting it, I started allowing it.
One day, I remember sitting with that familiar anxious feeling instead of trying to distract myself immediately. No scrolling, no music, no running away from it. Just sitting there thinking, “Alright, this is just my brain being overprotective.” It felt uncomfortable at first, but after a while, it didn’t escalate the way it usually did. It actually started to fade.
That’s when it clicked, resisting anxiety was feeding it.
Another big change was cutting back on social media. I didn’t quit completely, but I became more intentional. Less doomscrolling, less comparison, less constant noise. I realized how much my anxiety was being triggered by things that had nothing to do with my real-life news overload, other people’s highlight reels, and endless opinions.
When I reduced that input, my mind got quieter.
If you’re dealing with anxiety, try this:
1. Don’t treat it like a threat. It’s uncomfortable, but not harmful.
2. Let the feeling exist without trying to shut it down immediately.
3. Pay attention to what you’re feeding your mind daily, especially online.
You don’t have to eliminate anxiety overnight. It’s more about changing your relationship with it. When you stop seeing it as something dangerous, it loses a lot of its power.
Replies (20)
- JugglingNothing: Agreed. It feels more grounded. Not a “fix everything” post, just real stuff that actually works over time. Appreciate you sharing this, Ray 👍
- Charlotte: This thread is actually really helpful. It’s rare seeing people talk about anxiety in a way that doesn’t feel overwhelming or hopeless.
- Eli Mercer: That mindset shift alone feels like something I can actually try. Way more doable than trying to get rid of it completely.
- Real Ray C: That’s the key. I stopped aiming for “no anxiety” and started aiming for “not afraid of anxiety.” Big difference.
- JugglingNothing: Exactly. And that’s why I like what Ray said about changing your relationship with it instead of trying to eliminate it. Feels more realistic.
- Charlotte: That’s honestly one of the hardest parts. Anxiety doesn’t just stay in your head, it starts shaping your behavior. That’s when it feels like it’s taking over.
- Eli Mercer: I do that too. It’s exhausting. Sometimes I’ll even avoid people just so I don’t create new things to overthink later.
- Real Ray C: Yeah that loop is brutal. What helped me was realizing most people aren’t replaying it the way I am. That’s just my brain trying to “protect” me from social mistakes.
- JugglingNothing: What you said about replaying conversations… that’s my biggest issue. I’ll think about something I said days ago and convince myself I sounded stupid.
- Charlotte: Try replacing it with something low effort. I started just sitting outside for like 10 minutes instead of scrolling. Sounds boring but it helped more than I expected.
- Real Ray C: That’s exactly how it was for me. I didn’t quit cold turkey. I just started catching myself and putting the phone down earlier than usual. Small changes helped more than forcing a full stop.
- Eli Mercer: I think I’m stuck in that doomscrolling loop. Like I know it’s making me anxious but I keep going back to it. It’s almost automatic at this point.
- JugglingNothing: Same. I deleted Twitter for like 2 weeks and my anxiety dropped noticeably. It wasn’t gone, but it wasn’t constantly triggered either. That constant stream of bad news and opinions is a lot.
- Charlotte: The social media part really got me too. I didn’t realize how much it was affecting me until I took a break last year. My mind felt… quieter. Like less cluttered.
- Real Ray C: Yeah, it wasn’t a one-time fix. Took repetition. The intensity didn’t disappear immediately, but my reaction to it changed first. That’s what made the difference over time.
- Eli Mercer: Did it take you a while to get used to that though? Because I feel like I’d give up after one or two tries if it still feels intense.
- Real Ray C: Exactly that. The first time I tried it, I was convinced it would get worse too. But it’s like the anxiety loses momentum when you stop reacting to it. Not instantly, but noticeably.
- JugglingNothing: That fear of letting it sit is real. I tried it once and honestly thought it would spiral out of control. But weirdly, it didn’t. It peaked and then dropped. I think we’re so used to escaping it that we don’t trust what happens if we don’t.
- Charlotte: Same here. I’ve always gone straight into panic mode when I feel it coming. Like “oh no, here we go again.” I’ve never thought about just… letting it sit. It sounds simple but also kind of scary 😅
- Eli Mercer: Man, this hit harder than I expected. I’ve been treating anxiety like it’s something I need to “defeat” every single time it shows up. Reading this makes me realize I might actually be worsening it by constantly fighting it. That “overprotective brain” line… yeah, that stuck.