You know that feeling when your brain suddenly decides to become a 24/7 talk show host, constantly bombarding you with thoughts? Welcome to anxiety—where every little thing has the potential to spiral into a full-blown existential crisis.

I’ve been there (more times than I’d like to admit), and let me tell you, it’s exhausting. Anxiety doesn’t care if you’re in the middle of a meeting, hanging out with friends, or just trying to fall asleep. It shows up uninvited, ready to take control of your thoughts and make everything feel like it’s on the verge of disaster. So, how do you cope when your brain won’t shut up?

Here are some techniques that have helped me, and hopefully, they can help you too.

1. Get Friendly With Your Anxiety (Yes, Really)

First off, let’s acknowledge one thing: Anxiety is trying to protect you. It’s your brain’s way of saying, “Hey, something might go wrong!” But most of the time, it’s like that overprotective friend who worries way too much. You don’t need to fight your anxiety or hate it. Instead, try to recognize when it’s happening and accept it for what it is: a sign that your brain is working overtime to keep you safe, even when there’s no real danger.

That doesn’t mean you have to love it, but accepting its presence can reduce the power it has over you. You can even give it a name—something ridiculous like “Brenda the Brain Bully”—to separate it from your true thoughts. When Brenda shows up, just say, “Oh, it’s you again. Cool, but I’m busy.”

2. The Power of the Pause

When anxiety hits, your mind is racing at 100 miles an hour. This is where you need to hit the mental brakes. Pause. Take a deep breath (or ten). Focus on grounding techniques, like the good ol’ 5-4-3-2-1 trick:
– 5 things you can see
– 4 things you can touch
– 3 things you can hear
– 2 things you can smell
– 1 thing you can taste

This helps pull you back into the present moment, away from whatever worst-case scenario your brain is cooking up. Sometimes, just taking a few minutes to pause and breathe can calm the chaos enough for you to think more clearly.

3. Journal the Noise Away

If your brain won’t shut up, give it something to do. Grab a notebook and just start writing. Write down everything that’s swirling in your head—no matter how silly, irrational, or scary it might seem. This isn’t about creating a masterpiece; it’s about getting those anxious thoughts out of your mind and onto paper.

The cool thing about journaling is that it lets you see your thoughts from a distance. When they’re spinning around in your brain, they feel massive. But once they’re on the page, they lose some of that power, and you can start to see them for what they really are: just thoughts, not facts.

4. Challenge Your Thoughts (Kindly)

When anxiety is in full swing, it can feel like every terrible outcome is not only possible but inevitable. Your brain tells you that you’re going to fail, that everyone is judging you, or that something awful is about to happen. But just because you think it doesn’t mean it’s true.

Start by questioning those anxious thoughts:
– What’s the evidence for this?
– Is this a fact or just my anxiety talking?
– What’s the worst that could happen—and is it really that bad?
– What would I say to a friend who was having these same thoughts?

Approaching your anxiety with curiosity rather than fear can help you see through the fog of irrational thoughts.

5. Move Your Body, Change Your Mind

When you’re stuck in your head, sometimes the best thing you can do is get out of it—literally. Physical movement can help shake off that mental tension. You don’t have to go run a marathon (unless that’s your thing), but even a 10-minute walk or some light stretching can make a world of difference.

Exercise releases endorphins, which are like your brain’s natural mood boosters. So, next time