The Antidote to Anxiety is Action
I realized something recently. Anxiety doesn’t usually come from what I do. It comes from what I don’t do.
When my days are filled with work, journaling, reading, exercise, or even simple household chores, I notice something interesting: anxious thoughts don’t have much space to creep in. My mind is too busy moving forward.
This lesson became clear when my wife got sick. Wanting to be a good husband, I took on more tasks around the house—cooking, cleaning, errands, laundry—on top of my normal work and commitments. At first, I thought it would overwhelm me, but something unexpected happened.
The more I did, the less anxious I felt. My days became full. I still made time to journal because that practice matters to me. And suddenly, the uneasy feelings that usually hovered in the background were gone—not because I forced them away, but simply because they had no room to grow.
Cal Newport’s work explains this well. In Digital Minimalism, he writes that our brains crave depth and intention. Shallow activities—scrolling feeds, half-hearted multitasking—scatter attention and leave us restless. Restlessness easily turns into worry.
But when you give yourself meaningful action, even something small like cooking dinner or folding laundry, your attention locks onto the present. That presence doesn’t leave space for rumination.
In Deep Work, Newport calls focus a superpower. I’ve come to see it as a shield too. Anxiety thrives in an idle, wandering mind. Focus removes that fuel. When I’m absorbed in writing, helping, or even sweeping the floor, the spiral of negative thoughts can’t get started.
Journaling adds another layer. When I put worries on paper, they stop circling in my head and become external, manageable. My mind feels lighter and free to move on.
The pattern is clear: Action crowds out anxiety, and intentional action—depth, presence, focus—removes even more of it.
So now I try to squeeze the juice out of every single day—not to burn out, not to chase productivity for its own sake, but to live fully, with purpose, and to give worry no room to settle in.
If anxiety is knocking, don’t wait for it to pass. Move. Write. Read. Help. Create. Even small, meaningful tasks can turn restlessness into calm.
You’ll be surprised how quickly the mind quiets once the body is in motion and the attention is anchored in purpose.
Over the next 30 days, I’ll delve deeper into this idea. I’m decluttering my phone and being more strict with its use. In its place, I’m carrying Field Notes and spending more time journaling, reading, and writing. I want to see what happens when I remove shallow distractions and replace them with intentional practices. I hope that it not only reduces anxiety further but also deepens the sense of calm and clarity I’ve already started to feel.
See You Soon!
