Why does your brain get louder the moment you try to rest?
What if your overthinking is not random, and it has a fuel source?
Which daily habits are keeping you stuck in emergency mode?

If your mind will not shut off, you are not broken. A racing brain usually has a power source, and it is often hiding in your daily patterns, not in your personality.

In this episode, Jessica Davis breaks down five things that keep your mind in overdrive. You will learn how avoidance keeps anxiety “right,” why an unoccupied brain starts inventing problems, how caffeine and skipped meals ramp up physical anxiety symptoms, why doing everything alone feeds overwhelm, and how self-trust quiets the panic long term.

You will also hear a quick listener shoutout (Queensland, Australia, we see you), plus how to grab the free Anxiety Survival Toolkit linked in the show notes. Watch until the end for the mindset shift that helps you stop fighting your brain and start changing what fuels it.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode
• Why “calming down” does not work if you keep feeding the spiral
• How avoidance trains your brain to stay on high alert
• Why scrolling and zoning out often makes overthinking worse
• How caffeine and low blood sugar can mimic anxiety symptoms
• How perfectionism and doing it all alone keeps your brain overloaded
• Why self-trust is a long-term anxiety reducer, not a motivational quote
• A simple reframe for shifting out of emergency mode at night

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

📱 Follow Us:

Instagram | Facebook | Threads

🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

Links:
Anxiety Survival Toolkit:
https://www.blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/

Davis-Smith Mental Health:
https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com/

1:1 Confidence Coaching:
https://tidycal.com/blockoutthenoise/confidence-coaching

⚠️ Disclaimer: Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional mental health care, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing a crisis...

Why does one text make your thoughts spiral for hours?

Why do you feel smaller after dating instead of more confident?

How do you know what is anxiety versus real connection?

Dating can turn confident people into overthinkers. One message, one pause, or one unanswered text and your mind fills in the worst case story.

This episode helps you understand why dating triggers anxiety so fast and why your instincts feel unreliable in those moments. You will learn how anxiety disguises itself as being chill, patient, or low maintenance.

Instead of telling you to trust your feelings, this episode gives you something more steady. A way to stop shrinking, notice patterns, and stay grounded without overanalyzing every emotion.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode
• Why anxiety shows up quietly in dating and feels like self improvement
• How your nervous system reacts to attachment, uncertainty, and rejection
• The difference between connecting with someone and managing their reactions
• The two common dating traps anxious people fall into
• How to evaluate behavior instead of spiraling over feelings
• Why trying harder often leads to losing yourself
• What real certainty looks like over time

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

📱 Follow Us:

Instagram | Facebook | Threads

🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

Links:
Anxiety Survival Toolkit:
https://www.blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/

Davis-Smith Mental Health:
https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com/

1:1 Confidence Coaching:
https://tidycal.com/blockoutthenoise/confidence-coaching

⚠️ Disclaimer: Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional mental health care, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing a crisis...

Why does anxiety hit hardest right before something important?

Why does it get louder even when you have handled similar situations before?

What if anxiety isn't something you need to get rid of, but something you were never taught how to use?

Anxiety often shows up right before moments that matter. A test. A presentation. A game. A conversation you care about. When it does, most advice focuses on calming down or making the feeling stop. When that fails, anxiety starts to feel personal.

In this episode, Jessica Davis explains why anxiety behaves this way and why it often intensifies instead of fading with experience. You will learn how the brain mistakes importance for danger, why anxious thoughts ignore past success, and why panic is often a signal of care rather than failure.

You will also learn how confident people experience the same physical symptoms of anxiety and interpret them differently. Instead of fighting the feeling, they work with it. This episode walks you through how to make that shift and gives you practical tools you can use the moment anxiety shows up.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode
• Why anxiety spikes around the things you care about most
• The brain pattern that fuels worst case thinking
• Why fighting anxiety makes it stronger
• How to reinterpret physical panic sensations
• Three simple strategies to work with anxiety in real time
• A five step grounding checklist you can use anywhere

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

📱 Follow Us:

Instagram | Facebook | Threads

🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

Links:
Anxiety Survival Toolkit:
https://www.blockoutthenoisepodcast.com/anxiety-survival-toolkit/

Davis-Smith Mental Health:
https://www.davis-smithmentalhealth.com/

1:1 Confidence Coaching:
https://tidycal.com/blockoutthenoise/confidence-coaching

⚠️ Disclaimer: Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional mental health care, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing a crisis...