Why Am I Anxious?

Lori Chown
Nov 21, 2025
4 min read

Understanding Your Triggers and the Energy Behind Them

Anxiety isn’t weakness. It isn’t “in your head, and it isn’t just stress.

Anxiety is your inner system sending up flares, not to scare you, but to guide you.

Behind every anxious moment is a message.

Behind every tight breath is an unmet need.

Behind every racing thought is a deeper truth trying to surface.

When we stop fighting the anxiety and begin listening to it, something shifts.

The energy softens.

The pattern loosens.

The healing begins.

Let’s explore the “why,” the triggers, the circling thoughts, and then the self-healing practices that help you reclaim your calm, your clarity, and your power.

The Real Question Beneath the Symptoms

Anxiety often arises when:

• Your mind is moving faster than your body.You think three steps ahead, but your body is still on step one, creating inner friction.

• You don’t feel safe or grounded.Even if you are safe, your nervous system may not fully believe it.

• You’ve ignored your needs for too long.Exhaustion, emotional suppression, rushing, perfectionism, all of it builds internal pressure.

• You’re carrying something that isn’t yours.The energy of others, expectations, environments, or generational patterns can cling like static.

• You’re outgrowing something, but not yet stepping into the new.Anxiety often appears during transitions. It’s the space between shedding and becoming.

None of this means you’re broken.It means your inner world is asking for attention, not judgment.

Past survival patterns contribute to anxiety loops.

Some triggers are obvious. Stress, conflict, too much on your plate.But many are subtle, energetic, and deeply personal. Once you connect to the hidden triggers of deep emotional scars, it becomes easier to release the anxiety that comes with them.

Our minds remember old wounds before our awareness does.

Knowing what is triggering you isn’t about labeling yourself. It’s about understanding what your nervous system is trying to protect.

Some connections are clear, like feeling anxious around someone who has had too much to drink if you were raised in an alcoholic household. That fear is familiar to your nervous system.

But other anxieties are much more subtle. Like the ones that arise when you don’t feel supported, seen, or soothed in the moment. In those cases, the trigger isn’t the task or situation in front of you. It’s the quiet ache underneath, the part of you that remembers what it felt like to go without the emotional nourishment you needed.

This isn't about placing blame. It i about moving through the pain to release what no longer serves you.

The Circling Thoughts

Mind looping is one of the most common actions associated with anxiety.

The looping happens because your brain is searching for:

• Resolution• Reassurance• Closure• Safety• Predictability

Your mind thinks,“If I just think enough, I’ll feel better.”But the more you think, the deeper the loop becomes.

Circular thoughts often sound like:

• “What if this gets worse?”• “Why do I feel this way?”• “How do I fix this right now?”• “What if something goes wrong?”• “I shouldn’t feel like this.”• “What am I missing?”

These loops aren’t failure. They’re a sign your nervous system is stuck in protect mode.

Now let’s flip the energy.

Self-Healing Tips to Flip the Energy Pattern

These practices don’t push anxiety away. They transform the energy, moving it through your body in healthy ways. Each time you practice one or all of these steps, you move closer to breaking the energy pattern.

1. Slow the Mind by Activating the Body

Your mind can’t exit a loop if your body is still in alert mode.

Try:• A slow walk. Being in nature is one of the most natural ways to calm anxiety.• Warm water. Take a shower, bath, or run your hands under warm water.• A grounding touch. Create a calming aura with your hands. Place one on your chest and one on your stomach.• A few deep breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth.

Each one of these practices helps convince your body that you are safe, grounded, and protected.

2. Ask the Anxiety a Direct Question

After grounding yourself, ask, “What is this feeling trying to teach me?”

Anxiety often softens the moment it feels heard.

3. Break the Thought Loop with a Pattern Interrupt

A loop needs one thing to continue: momentum.

Break it by shifting energy quickly:

• Change rooms• Step outside• Sip cold water• Hold something grounding (a stone, fabric, a warm mug)• Name 5 things you can see

Small shifts, big impact.

4. Move the Energy Out of Your Body

Anxiety is energy with nowhere to go.The term shake it off is more than an expression. It’s a literal example of how to keep heavy energy from settling in your body.

Any gentle movement helps: walking, stretching, exercising, dancing, humming.

Movement tells your body,“I am safe enough to release.”

5. Choose a Higher-Soft Thought

Not positive thinking.Not pretending you’re fine.

A soft thought is believable and calming.

Try:• “I don’t have to figure this out right now.”• “This feeling will pass.”• “I am safe in this moment.”• “My body is trying to protect me, not punish me.”• “One step at a time.”

These thoughts help flip the pattern without forcing false positivity.

6. Let Yourself Pause Without Fixing

You don’t have to solve anxiety. You can simply soothe

it.Pause.Breathe.Sit with yourself gently.

Your energy shifts when you stop battling the feeling. Notice the self-talk you use. It may surprise you to learn how much anxiety is triggered by old internal voices. Echoes from the past that are ready to be released..