A Brain that Won't Shut Up: Anxiety, the Body, and the Spiral

There was a time when my brain felt like it was sprinting laps around my body. My chest would tighten. My jaw locked. My thoughts raced like they were trying to outrun something unnamed. And even as a therapist-in-training—someone who knew the science—I still got swept up in it.

That’s the thing about anxiety: it doesn’t care how much you know. It hijacks your nervous system, floods your body with cortisol, and convinces you that something terrible is about to happen—even when you’re just brushing your teeth.

🧠 What Anxiety Did to My Brain

When anxiety hit, my amygdala (the brain’s fear center) lit up like a fire alarm. My prefrontal cortex—the part that helps us reason, reflect, and regulate—went offline. Suddenly, I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was surviving. Fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. And my body? It braced for impact.

• My heart raced

• My breathing got shallow

• My muscles tensed

• My stomach churned

• Sleep? Not a chance.

It wasn’t just “in my head.” It was in my whole system.

💥 The Spiral

For me, the spiral often started with one intrusive thought:

“What if I mess this up?” Then came the body response. Then came the shame about the body response. Then came the panic about the shame. And suddenly, I wasn’t just anxious—I was spiraling.

🌱 What Helped Me Heal

While I still struggle with anxiety from time to time, I’ve developed strategies that help me understand, meet, and calm the storm. These are the tools I return to—especially when the spiral starts whispering again.

1. Name It to Tame It

I learned to say: “I’m having an anxious thought.” Not “I am anxious.” That tiny shift reminded me I wasn’t broken—I was observing something my brain was doing.

2. Ground Through the Body

• Pressing my feet into the floor

• Running cold water over my hands

• Stretching my arms overhead

• Breathing in for 4, holding for 4, out for 6 My body became my anchor. I used it.

3. Track It, Don’t Judge It

That’s why I created the Therapy Companion Journal for Anxiety. It gave me a space to track emotional patterns, notice triggers, and gently reflect—without trying to fix or erase anything. Because healing wasn’t about perfection. It was about presence.

4. Get Support That Gets It

Therapy helped me slow down, get curious, and build trust with my nervous system. Now, I offer that same support to others. If you’re in California, I offer virtual sessions statewide and in-person therapy in Riverside. We’ll explore your anxiety together—with compassion, structure, and zero shame. Because spiraling doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means your nervous system is asking for care.

💫 Final Thought

Anxiety used to be loud. Now, my healing voice is louder. Let’s learn to listen to yours—one breath, one page, one moment at a time.

From my messy heart to yours,