Worksheet: Acknowledging Anxiety and regaining control

Hernping
12 minutes ago
2 min read

For those who need a way to write down your fears and feelings, and process anxiety too.

What does anxiety want - and what can we do about it?

Anxiety often shows up uninvited — a tightness in the chest, a racing mind, an inner whisper that something might go wrong. It’s easy to view anxiety as the enemy: something to push away, avoid, or suppress. But what if, instead of fighting it, we tried to understand it?

At its core, anxiety wants safety. It wants certainty. It wants to protect us from pain, disappointment, and loss. It scans for what might go wrong and urges us to prepare, fix, or control. In a way, it’s trying to care for us — just not always in helpful ways.

The problem is, anxiety often over-functions.

It treats uncertainty as danger. It tells us, “You have to get this perfect,” or “You must know exactly how this will turn out,” or even, “If you don’t worry, something bad will happen.” And when we don’t acknowledge these thoughts and fears, they tend to grow louder in the background.

This is why naming and acknowledging anxiety matters.

When we pause and say, “I see you, anxiety — you’re worried something might go wrong,” we step into awareness. And awareness gives us choice. We no longer react blindly.

Instead, we can ask: What is within my control? And what isn't?

We can’t control everything — not outcomes, not other people’s reactions, not the future. But we can control how we respond. We can choose to set boundaries, to take a break, to ask for help. We can slow down. Breathe. Speak to ourselves with compassion instead of criticism.

Acknowledging anxiety doesn’t mean giving in to it. It means listening with curiosity, so we can choose wisely rather than react automatically.

Anxiety might want certainty. But what we really need is self-trust — the belief that whatever comes, we’ll find a way through.