What Anxiety Really Looks and Feels Like
- Becky Branton-Griemann
- Jun 10
- 2 min read
Anxiety, (It's Not Always Obvious)
When people hear the word anxiety, they often imagine someone visibly panicking—short of breath, shaky, maybe overwhelmed in a crowd. But the truth is, anxiety doesn’t always make a loud entrance. In fact, it often slips in quietly, disguising itself in everyday habits and thoughts. For many, it’s a constant
companion that goes unnoticed by everyone else—including themselves.
Anxiety can show up in subtle ways. It might be the racing thoughts that hit just as your head hits the pillow. Or the feeling that something is always slightly off, like you’re waiting for bad news that never quite arrives. You might feel tension in your chest or a knot in your stomach, but brush it off as just stress or something you ate. It’s hard to focus, your mind jumps around, and even small decisions feel overwhelming. You might catch yourself snapping at people you care about, then immediately feeling bad about it—but not knowing how to explain what’s going on inside.
From the outside, anxiety doesn’t always look like distress. Sometimes, it looks like someone who’s always busy—taking on more and more because slowing down feels unsafe. It might look like canceling plans, not because you don’t care, but because the idea of socializing feels too heavy to carry. For others, anxiety hides behind perfectionism, control, or even humor. You laugh things off, smile in photos, keep it all together… but underneath, your thoughts are anything but calm.
What’s important to know is that anxiety is more than just worry. It’s more than nervousness before a big event. It’s a pattern that can take root in how we think, react, and even how we view ourselves and the world around us. And it’s not a sign of weakness—it’s a sign that something inside you is asking for care.
Here’s the good news: anxiety is treatable. Therapy offers a space to untangle those thoughts, explore where they’re coming from, and begin to breathe a little easier again. It’s not about “fixing” you. It’s about helping you understand what your mind is trying to protect you from—and finding new ways to feel safe, calm, and confident in your day-to-day life.
If you’ve been feeling this way, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to keep navigating it by yourself.Let’s talk.
Book a session today and start finding your way forward.
