How Action Defeats Anxiety: A Social Worker’s Guide to Moving Through Overwhelm

Anxiety. It’s a whisper at first, then a dull hum, then it’s howling. It grows in the space between our ears and among where we are and where we think we should be. Indecision, delay, rumination, and catastrophizing are gas on the fire.

But there’s a truth for everyone who experiences this: anxiety feeds on inaction. And the fastest way to shrink it isn’t thinking, rethinking, planning, or bracing. It’s movement. (Figuratively and literally)

Action is anxiety’s opposite. It breaks the cycle. It grounds the mind. It gives the mindbody a job. It shrinks imagined and often irrational fears down to tangible, solvable steps. When overwhelm says, “Freeze,” action says, “Giddy up”

Why Inaction Makes Anxiety Louder

Ethan Kross’s “chatter loop”, or thoughts circling with no exit. The longer we stay still, the more anxious energy has room to build on itself. In social work, this can look like:

• Overthinking a difficult client interaction

• Avoiding documentation because it feels heavy

• Delaying a conversation you know needs to happen

• Mentally rehearsing everything that could go wrong

The mind says, “Let me think my way into feeling safe.” But thinking without acting magnifies fear.

Anxiety grows when mixed with imagination. Action forces reality and reality is where things becomes manageable.

Action as a Form of Mental Grounding

Movement interrupts mental noise. When we take action, even small action, a few things happen immediately:

1. The mindbody gets a task.

This diverts anxious energy away from catastrophizing.

2. The brain switches from rumination to problem-solving.

Action activates executive function, the part of the brain built for clarity.

3. Uncertainty shrinks.

The unknown becomes known. The imagined becomes tangible.

4. Confidence increases.

Each micro-action signals: “I can handle this.”

This is why action doesn’t just reduce anxiety temporarily —it builds long-term resilience.

Busy Isn’t Productive — and Sometimes It’s Anxiety in Disguise

It’s important to remember that not all action reduces anxiety. Some action is Pressfield’s Resistance. Some action—especially frantic, scattered, “do everything at once” action—increases anxiety. This is the trap of busy instead of productive.

Busy action is reactive. It looks like movement but leads nowhere. It’s driven by stress, fear, or the need to feel in control. It often shows up as multitasking, rushing, or trying to fix ten things at once.

Productive action is mindful and intentional. It moves one important thing forward. It shrinks anxiety instead of feeding it.

When we confuse busy with productive, we try to outrun anxiety, and accidentally give it more power. When we choose intentional action, we take the wheel back.

“Start Before You’re Ready” Is Not Reckless. It’s Regulating

The idea isn’t to take perfect action. It’s to take action that breaks the freeze response.

Some examples for social workers:

• Instead of dreading documentation → write the first sentence.

• Instead of worrying about an overwhelmed client → send one check-in text.

• Instead of spiraling after a tough meeting → take three deep breaths and stand up.

• Instead of being paralyzed by a jammed to-do list → complete the task that takes 2 minutes.

Action puts the mind back in motion. Momentum weakens anxiety’s grip.

The “Two-Minute Rule”

Borrowed from productivity psychology but adapted for burnout prevention:

If it takes under two minutes, do it right now.

Why it works:

• Your get a quick win

• The task stops looming

• You build momentum

• You create proof you can follow through

• You interrupt anxiety before it compounds

Over time, the two-minute rule becomes a pattern interrupter for stress.

Micro-Actions That Dissolve Anxiety (Anytime, Anywhere)

Here are actionable tools for your day, whether you’re in sessions, supervision, or home after a tough day:

• The “Next Right Step” Question

Ask: “What’s the smallest next right step?” Not the whole project. Just one step. Anxiety hates specificity.

How do you eat an elephant?

• Change Your Posture

Stand up. Roll your shoulders. Take a slow exhale. Physical shifts break cognitive loops.

• Move your body for 1–2 minutes

Walk the hall. Stretch. Slow your breathing. Movement regulates the nervous system faster than thought.

• Say it out loud

Verbalizing interrupts rumination and puts the worry out into the real world.

Why Action is Self-Care

Action isn’t about hustle. It’s about agency. It’s about refusing to let anxiety command you.

For social workers, action often feels like the only thing we ever do, but the key is this:

Action that reduces anxiety is intentional, not reactive. Not rushing. Not overworking. Not “fixing everything.” Just one grounded step at a time.

Intentional action is protective. It supports emotional, occupational, and physical wellness. Think back to SAMHSA’s 8 Dimensions.

When You Don’t Know What Action to Take

Think, “I don’t need to solve the whole thing. I only need the next step.”

Then choose something small enough that it feels almost trivial.

The power is never in the size of the action —It’s in the shift from stuck to in motion.

Anxiety thrives in waiting, worrying, postponing, and replaying. Action breaks the spell. Movement changes the channel. A single step can turn a spiraling afternoon into a grounded one.

You don’t need to quiet your thoughts before you act. You act to quiet your thoughts.