Not All Anxiety Is Created Equal: How to Understand the Way Anxiety Shows Up in Your Mind, Your Body—or Both
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The other day I had a conversation with a friend who shared with me that with the support of his therapy he’d recently realized that he’s been living with anxiety his whole life but never knew it.
He, like many of us, thought anxiety had to look like a full-blown panic attack—or at the very least that intense nervous system activation, like your body’s bracing for a crash that never comes. He didn’t realize that the tightness in his chest, the scattered thoughts, and that constant low hum of pressure could be anxiety, too.
Most of us were never taught what anxiety is, let alone that there are different types, how to distinguish between them, and how to support ourselves through the experience. Some of us are out here thinking we are grounded because our mind feels calm, meanwhile our bodies are begging for our attention. Or we think our worrying is just a part of our personality, rather than understanding our nervous system may be stuck in overdrive.
If any of this resonates, this article might be for you.
So, let’s jump in, because understanding the type of anxiety you're experiencing may change everything.
Two sides of the same anxiety coin: Cognitive and Somatic
Anxiety can be described in different ways. Sometimes it’s categorized by timing—like state anxiety, which refers to how you feel in a specific moment, and trait anxiety, which reflects your baseline tendency to feel anxious over time.
But another important distinction is how anxiety shows up in your system: either primarily through your thoughts (cognitive) or through physical sensations in your body (somatic).
Here’s the breakdown:
Cognitive Anxiety
This is the kind most people recognize. It shows up as:
Racing thoughts
Overanalyzing everything
Catastrophic “what if” spirals
Trouble focusing or sleeping because your mind won’t shut off
Cognitive anxiety tends to start in the mind and is often the trigger for physical symptoms.
For example, you might be lying in bed replaying something you said earlier, spiraling into “what if they took it the wrong way?” or “what if I embarrassed myself?”—suddenly, your heart is racing, your stomach's in knots, and sleep feels impossible. This is a cognitive loop, Thought ➝ Anxiety ➝ Somatic Symptoms. The thoughts inform the somatic (body) experience.
Somatic Anxiety
This one is sneakier—especially if you’re not used to tuning into your body.. It shows up as:
Chest tightness
Nausea or stomach pain
Muscle tension
Sweating or chills
Feeling like something is “off” in your body with no clear cause
Somatic anxiety tends to start in the body, and your mind tries to make sense of it—often by scanning for problems or catastrophizing, which creates even more anxiety.
For example, your heart flutters or you feel dizzy and your brain doesn’t know why so it makes up a reason: “Am I dying?” “Why is this happening?” “What if I can’t breathe?” That interpretation sparks anxious thoughts, which amplify the physical symptoms—and a loop begins. Somatic Sensation ➝ Catastrophic Thought ➝ More Anxiety.
Not all anxiety is created equal.
Were human, so naturally we want thinks to be neat and easily understood. But heres the thing: not all anxiety is created equal. Some of us feel it in our minds—racing thoughts, spirals, mental noise. Some of us feel it in our bodies—tight chest, stomach aches, restlessness.
And many of us feel it all, concurrently.
This is important. If we only recognize one version of anxiety, we might miss the ways it’s actually showing up in us. We might think we’re “not anxious” because we’re not having a panic attack. Or we might assume our physical symptoms are something medical—when really, our nervous system is sounding the alarm for something deeper.
The more we understand how anxiety moves through, and shows up in, us—whether it begins in our thoughts, our bodies, or both—the more powerfully we can show up for ourselves.
For someone who lives mostly in their head, support might look like mindfulness, cognitive reframing, or journaling. For someone whose anxiety starts in the body, support might look like grounding, breathwork, or somatic regulation to help the nervous system settle before the mind can come back online in a way that feels clear, connected, and safe again.
Even in high-pressure moments—like public speaking, competing, or test-taking—these distinctions matter. You can have the knowledge, the preparation, the skill… but if your body feels unsafe, your system might not let those skills through.
Understanding what kind of anxiety you’re experiencing isn’t just about insight—it’s not about figuring yourself out so you can fix or control what’s happening. That only leads to hypervigilance toward your own symptoms, shame when you “know better” but still feel anxious, and intellectual bypassing that skips over your body’s real needs. This work is about cultivating compassion. It’s about learning your patterns so you can meet yourself with care, not criticism. From that place, you’re able to offer the kind of support that actually works—because it’s rooted in relationship, not reaction; support, not suppression.
Start Noticing Your Pattern
Understanding is powerful—but only if we bring it into our lived experience. So let’s start there. The more clearly we can track how anxiety begins and unfolds in us, the more we can meet ourselves in those early moments—before the spiral takes hold.
Heres the thing: Anxiety doesn’t always announce itself loudly. It creeps in—subtle, familiar, and often disguised as “this is just how I am.” Regular check-ins can help you recognize early signs before they spiral into overwhelm.
Try and remember that check-ins are a starting point—not a test. Try both, especially if you’re not sure where your anxiety tends to show up. These check-in’s will help you discover your patterns. Over time, you might notice one pathway is louder than the other—and that’s helpful information. Once you begin to recognize whether anxiety shows up more in your thoughts, your body, or both, you can start to tailor your support accordingly. But both matter. Your mind and body are in relationship. The more fluently you listen to both, the more attuned your support becomes.
Try these when:
When you feel “off” but can’t name why
During transitions (before a meeting, after a hard conversation)
At the beginning or end of the day
Anytime you feel pulled into overthinking or disconnection
Before using a coping strategy or tool (like distracting yourself, venting to a friend, reaching for your phone, going for a walk, or using a breathing technique)—so you can respond based on what’s true, not just what’s habitual
Cognitive Check-In
Take 60 seconds. Ask yourself:
What’s running through my mind right now?
Am I future-tripping, overanalyzing, or stuck in a mental loop?
If my thoughts had a soundtrack, what would it sound like?
Jot down what you notice. Sometimes just noticing the thought helps interrupt the spin.
Somatic Check-In
If it feels okay, close your eyes. Try a mini body scan:
Where do I feel tension?
How’s my breath—shallow or full?
Any odd sensations—tightness, buzzing, clenching?
You don’t need to fix it. Just notice. Awareness is the doorway to regulation.
Support Strategies for Different Types of Anxiety
Okay, so what do you do when you start to understand how your anxiety shows up? I got you.
Below is a small toolkit to help you start offering yourself support in a way that’s actually aligned with what is showing up for you. Think of these as staring points— ways to meet yourself with presence, care, and just enough structure to shift the moment.
When You Feel It (Somatic First):
Soften your breath: slow inhale, longer exhale. Let your exhale be an anchor.
Name the sensation: “This is tightness, not danger.” Naming separates sensation from panic.
Grounding: press your feet into the floor. Notice three things around you. What can you hear? Smell? Touch?
Touch: place a hand on your heart or belly. Let the warmth remind you that you’re here.
When You Think It (Cognitive First):
Thought catching: write down your top three worries. Get them out of the spin cycle and onto paper.
Reality check: ask yourself, “Is this thought supportive, useful, or kind?” If not, can it be softened? Is there a compassionate perspective available to you?
Time box it: set a timer to think about the problem later—or give yourself 3–5 minuted to think about it now and then move on to something else.
Redirect: shift to a task that requires gentle focus—like washing dishes, walking, or stretching. Let your body help your mind settle.
Final Thoughts on Understanding and Supporting Anxiety
Like anything worth doing, this takes time. Coming into deeper relationship with yourself is not an overnight process, so be gentle with yourself. You may not always catch the loop before it starts. You might not always know whether it’s cognitive or somatic—or both. That’s okay. You don’t have to do it right. You just have to keep showing up.
Every time you pause to notice, every time you offer yourself a breath, or a softer thought, or a grounding moment you’re practicing a new way of relating to yourself. And that is powerful. That is what builds safety and trust in your system.
This is what nervous system healing looks like. Not a dramatic transformation overnight, but the slow accumulation of tiny moments of presence, safety and care—offered again and again.
Remember: Everything you need to heal is already within you. Your body knows the way— you just need to create space to listen.
Celebrating you in the midst of your process,
Taren
If this resonated with you, if it sparked a new perspective or helped you feel seen—please share it. Send it to a friend or post it on your socials. The more we bring these conversations into the light, the more we empower each other to grow.
