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Anxiety, CBT & ACT — plain-English articles on panic, overthinking, health anxiety & the 3am spiral

Evidence-based articles on anxiety, CBT, ACT, and the science of how your mind works. Practical techniques. No fluff.

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The 90-Second Rule: Stop Anxiety Before It Starts
Techniques

The 90-Second Rule: Stop Anxiety Before It Starts

The neurochemical surge that triggers anxiety lasts 90 seconds. Intervene in that window and you can stop a spiral before it forms.

5 min read · April 2026
Why Meditation Doesn't Work for Everyone
Opinion

Why Meditation Doesn't Work for Everyone

Sitting with your thoughts sounds peaceful — until your thoughts are screaming. For many anxious people, meditation backfires. Here's what works instead.

6 min read · April 2026
What Happens in Your Brain During a Panic Attack
Neuroscience

What Happens in Your Brain During a Panic Attack

The amygdala fires. Adrenaline floods. Your prefrontal cortex goes offline. Here's the neuroscience of panic — and why understanding it helps stop it.

7 min read · April 2026
The Anxiety-Sleep Cycle: How to Break It
Sleep

The Anxiety-Sleep Cycle: How to Break It

Poor sleep fuels anxiety. Anxiety destroys sleep. This bidirectional relationship creates one of the most stubborn loops in mental health. Here's how to interrupt it.

6 min read · April 2026
5 Things Therapists Wish You Knew About Anxiety
Insight

5 Things Therapists Wish You Knew About Anxiety

Anxiety isn't weakness. Avoidance makes it worse. You don't need to feel ready. And other truths from the therapy room that could change how you approach your mental health.

5 min read · April 2026
Dr Google Will See You Now: Why Symptom-Searching Fuels Anxiety
Health Anxiety

Dr Google Will See You Now: Why Symptom-Searching Fuels Anxiety

You Google "headache" and within three clicks you're reading about brain tumours. Here's the psychology of why symptom-searching is so addictive and so destructive.

6 min read · April 2026
How to Help Someone Having an Anxiety Spiral
Relationships

How to Help Someone Having an Anxiety Spiral

Your partner, friend, or family member is spiralling. You want to help but don't know what to say. Here's what actually works — and what makes it worse.

6 min read · April 2026
Worry vs Anxiety vs Panic: What's the Difference?
Education

Worry vs Anxiety vs Panic: What's the Difference?

They feel similar but they're fundamentally different — and knowing which one you're experiencing changes how you respond. A clear guide to the spectrum.

5 min read · April 2026
Why Anxiety Gets Worse Before It Gets Better
Recovery

Why Anxiety Gets Worse Before It Gets Better

You started therapy or self-help and now you feel worse. This is normal, it's temporary, and it's actually a sign of progress. Here's why.

5 min read · April 2026
Morning Anxiety: The Cortisol Spike Explained
Science

Morning Anxiety: The Cortisol Spike Explained

Waking up with dread, a racing heart, and a stomach full of knots. Morning anxiety has a biological cause — and understanding it is the first step to managing it.

5 min read · April 2026
Intrusive Thoughts: Why Having Them Doesn't Mean What You Think
Intrusive Thoughts

Intrusive Thoughts: Why Having Them Doesn't Mean What You Think

The thought that scared you most isn't a confession. It's not a warning. It's a neurological reflex — and the harder you push it away, the louder it gets. Here's why.

7 min read · April 2026
Anxiety vs Depression: How to Tell the Difference
Education

Anxiety vs Depression: How to Tell the Difference (and Why They Overlap)

Most people with anxiety have symptoms of depression. Most people with depression feel anxious. Here's the clinical distinction, why they feed each other, and what to do about it.

7 min read · April 2026
Workplace Anxiety: Why Sunday Night Feels Like a Funeral
Workplace

Workplace Anxiety: Why Sunday Night Feels Like a Funeral

The Sunday scaries. The email dread. The meeting panic. Work anxiety has specific triggers and specific solutions — most of them aren't "do more self-care."

6 min read · April 2026
Acceptance Isn't Giving Up: The Most Misunderstood Idea in ACT
ACT

Acceptance Isn't Giving Up: The Most Misunderstood Idea in ACT

"So I just have to accept feeling terrible forever?" No. Acceptance in ACT means something specific — and understanding it properly is the difference between healing and suffering.

6 min read · April 2026
10 Defusion Techniques to Unhook From Anxious Thoughts
ACT

10 Defusion Techniques to Unhook From Anxious Thoughts

Saying your thought in a silly voice sounds ridiculous. It also works. Ten ACT-based defusion techniques that create distance between you and the thought that's running you.

8 min read · April 2026
When Your Child Has Anxiety: What Actually Helps
Parenting

When Your Child Has Anxiety: What Actually Helps

Telling them not to worry doesn't work. Neither does removing every trigger. The evidence-based framework for parenting an anxious child — without making it worse.

8 min read · April 2026
High-Functioning Anxiety: The Version Nobody Talks About
Recognition

High-Functioning Anxiety: The Version Nobody Talks About

You're hitting deadlines, going to the gym, showing up for everyone. You're also exhausted, restless, and terrified of stopping. Here's why your anxiety hides in plain sight.

6 min read · April 2026
Your First Panic Attack: What Just Happened (and What to Do Next)
Panic

Your First Panic Attack: What Just Happened (and What to Do Next)

You thought you were dying. You weren't. But now you're scared it will happen again. Here's exactly what happened in your body, why it's not dangerous, and how to stop the second one.

7 min read · April 2026
Anxiety Chest Pain vs Heart Attack: How to Tell the Difference
Physical Symptoms

Anxiety Chest Pain vs Heart Attack: How to Tell the Difference

The squeeze, the tightness, the arm tingle — your body is sounding an alarm that feels identical to a cardiac event. Here's what's actually happening, and the specific differences doctors look for.

8 min read · April 2026
Derealisation and Depersonalisation: When the World Feels Fake
Physical Symptoms

Derealisation and Depersonalisation: When the World Feels Fake

You're looking at your own hands and they don't feel like yours. The room looks flat, like a film set. You're not losing your mind — it's one of the most common anxiety symptoms nobody talks about.

7 min read · April 2026
The Gut-Anxiety Connection: Why Your Stomach Spirals First
Physical Symptoms

The Gut-Anxiety Connection: Why Your Stomach Spirals First

Nausea before a meeting. IBS that flares when life does. The gut has more neurons than your spinal cord, and it's listening to every anxious thought. Here's the science, and what actually helps.

6 min read · April 2026
Hyperventilation: Why Just Breathe Makes It Worse
Techniques

Hyperventilation: Why "Just Breathe" Makes It Worse

Panicked breathing isn't too little oxygen — it's too much. The standard advice to take deep breaths can actually extend the attack. Here's the counterintuitive reset that works in under 90 seconds.

5 min read · April 2026
Rumination vs Problem-Solving: The Test That Tells Them Apart
Thought Patterns

Rumination vs Problem-Solving: The Test That Tells Them Apart

Thinking hard about a problem feels productive. Ruminating feels productive too — but it isn't. One question reveals which one you're actually doing, and why your brain keeps confusing them.

6 min read · April 2026
The Silent Spiral: Why Men Don't Talk About Anxiety
Men's Mental Health

The Silent Spiral: Why Men Don't Talk About Anxiety

Anger, withdrawal, "working late," drinking more. Men experience anxiety differently — and the symptoms often don't look like anxiety at all. Here's what to watch for.

6 min read · April 2026

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