If knowing better were enough, you would already feel better.

You know the presentation isn’t dangerous.

You know one awkward conversation isn’t going to ruin your career.

You know the plane is probably going to land safely.

You know that person taking three hours to reply to your message doesn’t necessarily mean anything.

And yet your body reacts as though something is wrong.

Your heart races. Your stomach tightens. Your mind starts running through every possible scenario. You replay conversations. You prepare for things that haven’t happened yet.

Then comes the frustrating part.

You try to talk yourself out of it.

Stop thinking about it.

You’re being ridiculous.

There’s nothing to worry about.

Just calm down.

Except it doesn’t really work.

And there’s a reason for that.

You can know you’re safe and still feel anxious

You can logically know something is safe while automatically responding as though it isn’t.

Think about standing at the edge of a very high glass balcony.

You know the glass can hold you. You’ve watched other people stand on it. You’ve been told it’s perfectly safe.

But take one step forward and your body may have a very different opinion.

That’s because your automatic responses don’t wait for you to finish a logical argument.

Your brain is constantly making predictions based on previous experiences, associations, context and what you’re paying attention to.

Most of the time, that’s incredibly useful.

You don’t want to consciously analyse every sound, facial expression or physical sensation before deciding whether it matters.

The problem starts when the alarm becomes too sensitive.

Now a presentation can feel like a threat.

A physical sensation can become something to monitor.

A difficult conversation can be rehearsed 47 times before it happens.

And uncertainty can become something your mind believes it needs to solve.

Why anxiety can make you overthink everything

This is where anxiety becomes interesting.

Most people experiencing anxiety aren’t thinking because they enjoy thinking.

They’re often trying to get somewhere.

Certainty.

Control.

Reassurance.

Preparation.

Protection.

The mind says:

If I think about this for long enough, maybe I’ll work out what is going to happen.

So you analyse.

Then analyse the analysis.

Then wonder whether you’ve missed something.

The problem is that life rarely gives us 100% certainty.

Research has consistently linked difficulty tolerating uncertainty with worry and anxiety.

So the brain keeps searching for an answer that may not exist.

And here’s the trap.

Overthinking can feel productive because you’re doing something.

But sometimes you’re not solving the problem.

You’re practising the worry.

How to interrupt the anxiety and overthinking loop

The next time you notice yourself going around in circles, don’t immediately try to stop the thoughts.

Instead, get curious.

Ask yourself:

“What am I trying to get from this thinking?”

Is it an answer?

Certainty?

Reassurance?

Control?

A guarantee that nothing will go wrong?

Then ask:

“Is there actually something I can do about this right now?”

If the answer is yes, decide on the action.

Make the call. Prepare the presentation. Ask the question. Write the email.

If the answer is no, notice what your mind is asking you to achieve.

Because there is a big difference between solving a problem and trying to eliminate uncertainty.

One has an endpoint.

The other can keep you thinking all night.

Why trying not to feel anxious can backfire

There’s another trap.

People often become anxious about being anxious.

You notice your heart beating faster.

Why is my heart racing?

You notice yourself thinking.

Here I go again.

You feel uncomfortable.

I need to get rid of this feeling.

Now your attention is locked onto the very thing you want to disappear.

This doesn’t mean you should simply “accept anxiety” and suffer through it.

It means constantly checking, fighting and trying to suppress an internal experience can sometimes keep your attention anchored to it.

Here’s a tiny experiment.

For the next ten seconds, try very hard not to notice whether your tongue is touching the roof of your mouth.

Too late.

That’s attention.

What you repeatedly monitor becomes difficult to ignore.

Stop making calm the test

This is one of the biggest shifts I work on with clients.

Instead of asking:

“How do I make sure I don’t feel anxious?”

we start asking:

“What do I want to be able to do, even if some anxiety shows up?”

Those are very different goals.

If you have to feel completely calm before giving the presentation, getting on the plane, going to the event or having the conversation, anxiety gets to decide when you act.

But if the goal becomes learning that you can experience a sensation without automatically obeying it, something begins to change.

You’re no longer waiting for your internal world to be perfect before participating in your external one.

And that matters.

Because confidence doesn’t always arrive before action.

Sometimes it develops because of it.

Can hypnosis help with anxiety and overthinking?

This is one reason I use clinical hypnosis alongside strategic psychotherapy.

Hypnosis isn’t mind control. You don’t lose control, and you’re not unconscious.

It is better understood as a process involving focused attention and responsiveness to suggestion. In therapy, this can give us another way of working with imagery, associations, sensations, attention and automatic patterns.

Rather than spending an entire session discussing why you shouldn’t feel anxious, we can also work with some of the processes involved in maintaining the response.

The research on hypnosis for anxiety is encouraging, but it is important not to oversell it.

A meta-analysis of controlled studies found hypnosis was associated with reductions in anxiety, with stronger effects when hypnosis was combined with other psychological interventions rather than used on its own.

That combination matters to me.

Because sometimes understanding the pattern is important.

And sometimes understanding it isn’t enough.

Try this the next time you feel anxious

Instead of immediately asking:

“How do I get rid of this?”

try asking:

“What is my brain predicting right now?”

Then ask:

“What am I doing because I believe that prediction?”

Are you:

Checking?

Avoiding?

Seeking reassurance?

Rehearsing the conversation repeatedly?

Over-preparing?

Going over every possible outcome?

Trying to make absolutely certain nothing will go wrong?

Don’t judge the answer.

Just notice it.

Because that’s where things become useful.

You may not control every thought that appears.

You may not control every sensation your body produces.

But you can become much better at recognising the pattern and deciding what happens next.

And sometimes that is where change begins.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can’t I stop overthinking?

Overthinking can serve a purpose. Your mind may be trying to create certainty, prevent mistakes, prepare for danger or reassure you that everything will be okay. The difficulty is that when the problem involves uncertainty rather than something you can actually solve, thinking more doesn’t necessarily produce an answer. It can simply create another round of thinking.

Can overthinking be a symptom of anxiety?

Persistent worry and repetitive thinking can occur alongside anxiety, although overthinking itself doesn’t automatically mean you have an anxiety disorder. If worry is persistent, difficult to control or significantly affecting your sleep, work, relationships or daily life, consider speaking with an appropriately qualified health professional.

Why do I feel anxious when I know I’m safe?

Logical knowledge and automatic responses aren’t identical. Your brain and body can produce a threat response even when you consciously understand that a situation isn’t dangerous. Previous learning, attention, expectations, context and interpretation can all influence how we respond.

Should I try to stop anxious thoughts?

Trying to forcibly suppress thoughts can sometimes make them more noticeable. Rather than fighting every anxious thought, it can be more useful to notice what the thought is predicting, whether there is a genuine problem requiring action and what behaviour follows from believing the thought.

Can hypnotherapy help with anxiety?

Research suggests hypnosis may be helpful for anxiety, particularly when incorporated alongside other psychological approaches. It isn’t a universal solution, and the appropriate treatment depends on the individual and the nature and severity of their symptoms.

About Sandra

Sandra Moscardo is a Clinical Hypnotherapist and Strategic Psychotherapist and founder of Newpath.

Her approach combines strategic psychotherapy, clinical hypnosis and an understanding of human behaviour to help people change patterns that can continue even when they consciously know better.

Her work focuses on helping people better understand what drives their thoughts, behaviours and automatic responses, then giving them practical ways to create change.

References

Valentine, K. E., Milling, L. S., Clark, L. J., & Moriarty, C. L. (2019). The efficacy of hypnosis as a treatment for anxiety: A meta-analysis. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 67(3), 336–363.

Gillett, C. B., Bilek, E. L., Hanna, G. L., & Fitzgerald, K. D. (2018). Intolerance of uncertainty in youth with obsessive-compulsive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder: A transdiagnostic construct with implications for phenomenology and treatment. Clinical Psychology Review.

Australian Bureau of Statistics. National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, 2020–2022.

Important: This article provides general information and is not intended to diagnose or replace individual medical or psychological advice.

Know someone who might need this?

If this made you think of someone who spends a lot of time overthinking, worrying or trying to talk themselves out of anxiety, send it their way.

Sometimes understanding what’s happening is the first step towards doing something differently.