Why Do I Feel Anxious for No Reason?
Help for anxiety, panic attacks & anxiety disorders

You might feel anxious 'for no reason', but often there are underlying causes that aren’t immediately obvious. Anxiety can be your nervous system responding to stress, past experiences, or unresolved emotions—even if there’s no clear trigger in the present moment.

Childhood experiences, trauma, or ongoing pressure can leave your body in a heightened state of alert, making it easier to feel overwhelmed or on edge.

Your mind may also be trying to anticipate danger or stay in control, leading to overthinking and physical symptoms like a racing heart or tight chest. Even factors like lack of rest, hormonal changes, or burnout can contribute. While it can feel confusing and frustrating, these feelings are your body’s way of signalling that something needs attention, care, and support.

You may also have formed a set of rules for yourself in childhood that may have served you then, but are now causing you anxiety. Common sets of unconscious rules are 'I must please other people and ignore my needs'. Going against this rule or believing you are not doing it well enough can lead to anxiety. Attempting to stick to this rule even when you are burnt out & resentful can become a source of anxiety.

Other 'rules' people can inadvertently live by include attempting to be perfect & do everything perfectly, attempting to be strong and carry on while ignoring their own feelings, wants & needs. Another is to always be working towards something, or to do everything quickly.

How Do I Stop a Panic Attack?

If you’re experiencing a panic attack, it can feel intense & overwhelming, but there are ways to help your body calm down in the moment.

1. Back breathing. Gently place the palms of your hands on your mid to lower back and close your eyes if this is safe and comfortable for you to do so. Without forcing, imagine you are breathing into your hands. Notice if you can feel any movement as you breathe in in your lower back. It's OK if you can't. The main thing is that your attention and curiosity are here. This helps you to fill the bottom / back of your lungs which in turn sends a message to your brain that you are safe.

2. Notice what you are telling yourself in these moments. If it goes along the lines of 'Oh my gosh, this is going to be awful, I'm rubbish, I'm dying. Everything is doomed... you are likely to escalate your state. Once you can start observing your thoughts, you then have the power to change what you are saying to yourself. What would be useful to hear? Write this out while you are in a calm state so that it can be available to you if you feel a panic attack coming on. Reassuring statements like 'I am safe' can be useful. Begin to notice which statements have what impact on you.

3. Know that not all of you is anxious. Locate the initial body sensations that tell you anxiety is present. When you know that not all of you is anxious, this frees up another part of you that you can use as a resource to meet the anxious part with. Meet the anxious parts with curiosity. Instead of meeting them with doom-statements, try placing a hand on the areas you have identified and say something like 'anxiety, you are here, what do you need?'

4. Meet your initial body sensations of anxiety like you would meet a frightened child. Use a loving, nurturing approach to your own body sensations. This can help bring compassion and safety to the parts of you that are scared or anxious.

I have worked with may forms of anxiety and I know that barriers can come up to taking these steps. Please do not let this put you off. If you hear yourself say 'other people can do this, but not me' or 'these steps are rubbish' or 'I didn't get it perfect first time so I don't want to try it again, I failed' there might be more to explore on your journey to reducing anxiety.

You might want to come away from anxiety, but if it has become familiar, a deeper part of you might be invested in keeping your world familiar - even if this isn't making you happy. There might be a pay-off to staying anxious such as knowing how to 'do life' this way. Thinking of being anxious as part of your identity. The unknown of not having anxiety feeling overwhelming. Another reason you might sabotage your attempts to help yourself is the fear of what you might have to do if you aren't anxious. Will you 'have to' socialise?

OCD and health anxiety can come from attempting to feel in control when something too big has happened. These patterns can be learned in childhood then kept as a form of attempting to cope in adulthood.

Social anxiety can be greatly linked to beliefs about your own worth created in childhood, created from the people and events from your developmental years.

If you think you might need more support with some of the deeper, underlying issues mentioned here that might belay your anxiety, please get in touch.