Why Do I Feel Anxious All the Time, Even When Nothing Is “Wrong”?
A few years ago, I was lying on a chiropractor’s table while he worked out tension in my back. Mid-adjustment, he stopped and asked, almost casually,
“Do you struggle with anxiety?”
I paused.
“Not right now,” I said. “But… sometimes.”
He nodded and said something that stayed with me:
“If you keep going like this, you’re going to give yourself an ulcer. You’re stressing over things that are bigger than you. Focus on what you can control, what you’ll eat, what you’ll wear, and let the rest go.”
It sounded simple. Almost too simple.
And yet, this is often where anxiety lives.
Anxiety Isn’t Always About What’s Happening Right Now
Many people who feel anxious all the time can’t point to a single cause. Life may look stable from the outside, work is manageable, relationships are intact, nothing catastrophic is happening, yet internally there’s a constant sense of tension or unease.
Anxiety isn’t only a response to immediate danger. It’s often a response to uncertainty, anticipation, and feeling responsible for outcomes you can’t fully control.
Your nervous system isn’t reacting to what is happening, it’s reacting to what might happen.
Common Reasons You May Feel Anxious All the Time
Financial stress and uncertainty
Even when finances are “okay,” money can carry an undercurrent of worry. Questions about stability, security, and the future can keep the nervous system on alert, especially when things feel unpredictable.
Family history and learned anxiety
If you grew up in an environment where stress, worry, or emotional suppression were common, your body may have learned that being tense is normal or even necessary. Anxiety can be passed down not just genetically, but emotionally, through patterns of coping and relating to the world.
Feeling responsible for things you can’t control
Many people who experience chronic anxiety are thoughtful, conscientious, and deeply responsible. Over time, that responsibility can turn into a belief that it’s your job to prevent everything that could go wrong. Carrying that weight is exhausting.
How Anxiety Shows Up in the Body
Anxiety doesn’t only live in the mind. It lives in the body.
It can show up as:
Tight shoulders, neck, or jaw
Chronic muscle tension or back pain
Digestive discomfort
Difficulty sleeping
Fatigue
Shallow breathing
A constant feeling of being “keyed up”
Sometimes the body recognizes anxiety before the mind does; as mine did on that chiropractor’s table.
Why Control and Anxiety Are So Closely Linked
Anxiety and control are deeply connected. When life feels unpredictable, emotionally, financially, socially, or systemically, the nervous system responds by staying alert.
Advice like “just stop worrying” or “let it go” often misses the point. Letting go isn’t a switch you flip. It’s a process of learning what is actually yours to carry, and what never was.
What “Not Stressing the Big Stuff” Actually Looks Like
Not stressing the big stuff doesn’t mean ignoring reality or pretending things don’t matter. It means shifting attention away from constant mental problem-solving and toward what’s tangible and present.
It can look like:
Noticing when your thoughts spiral into worst-case scenarios
Grounding yourself in small, concrete choices
Allowing uncertainty without trying to resolve it immediately
Over time, these moments signal safety to the nervous system. And when the nervous system feels safer, anxiety begins to soften.
The Weight of Ongoing Uncertainty
We’re also living in a time where uncertainty feels constant. Social, economic, and political instability, even when we aren’t directly impacted, can keep the nervous system in a state of vigilance. Continuous exposure to stress and distressing information can quietly reinforce the sense that the world is unsafe or unpredictable.
Feeling anxious in this context doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. It means your system is responding to the environment it’s in.
Support That Helps You Feel More Grounded
Anxiety has a way of pulling attention outward, toward what might happen, what could go wrong, or what feels out of your control. Over time, this can leave you feeling tense, restless, or disconnected from yourself, even when nothing is immediately wrong.
Support for anxiety isn’t about forcing calm or eliminating uncertainty. It’s about having space to slow down, notice what’s happening internally, and understand how your mind and body respond to stress. With support, anxiety can become something you relate to differently, rather than something that quietly runs your life.
I work with teens, young adults, and adults of all genders who experience anxiety in many forms, including persistent worry, physical tension, people-pleasing, perfectionism, or feeling overwhelmed by responsibility. The focus isn’t on “fixing” you, but on building steadiness from the inside.
I’m based in Bay Shore on Long Island and also work with clients throughout New York, including NYC, via telehealth.
When Anxiety Becomes a Pattern, Not a Phase
Occasional anxiety is part of being human. Constant anxiety, the kind that feels like it’s always there, can take a real toll.
Therapy can help you understand where your anxiety comes from, how it lives in your body, and why letting go feels so difficult. Over time, it can help your nervous system learn that it doesn’t have to stay on guard all the time.
You don’t need to eliminate stress from your life to feel better. You may just need support in carrying less of what was never meant to be yours alone.
*This article is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for therapy.