Worrying about different things
Anxiety rarely attaches itself to a single issue. It spreads. Work, money, health, relationships, the future — concerns pile up and blur into one another. You might struggle to explain what you’re anxious about, only that your head feels full.
When anxiety is high, the brain broadens its threat scanning. Instead of focusing on one problem, it checks everything, looking for weak points or potential failures.
This wide-angle vigilance once helped humans survive unpredictable environments. In modern life, it often overshoots — but it’s still a protective reflex, not a personal flaw.
Feeling constantly pulled in multiple directions can lead to indecision, procrastination, and a sense of being overwhelmed that affects work, relationships, and self-confidence.
If this pattern keeps repeating, it may be worth slowing down enough to understand what’s driving it.
In this short series, I unpack the seven common experiences of anxiety. These are patterns many people recognise in themselves — sometimes quietly, sometimes uncomfortably. If you see yourself in one or more of these, it may mean your nervous system has been working hard for a long time.
More in this series:
Feeling nervous or on edge
Constantly worrying
Worrying about different things
Trouble relaxing
Feeling restless
Easily annoyed or irritable
Feeling afraid
