Agitated or Anxious? How to Tell What Your Body Is Saying
When Everything Feels Activated
Most people know what it feels like to be overwhelmed, keyed up, or “not quite right,” but fewer people can name what state their nervous system is actually in. Agitation and anxiety often get used interchangeably, yet they arise from different internal cues and require different responses.
If you have ever found yourself asking questions like:
“Why am I so on edge?”
“Is this worry or something else?”
“Why does my body feel this tense even when my mind is quiet?”
you are not alone. These states can overlap, but they are not the same. Learning to tell the difference helps you intervene earlier and more effectively.
In my clinical work, I treat agitation and anxiety as two distinct nervous system reactions. Both feel uncomfortable, but they carry different messages about what your body needs right now.
This guide outlines how to recognize each state and introduces small reset skills that can shift the next ten minutes.
Phase One: Recognizing Anxiety
Anxiety is a future-oriented state. It pulls you into questions, scenarios, and predictions. The body and mind tend to work together in one direction: protecting against imagined danger.
Signs that point to anxiety:
Racing or looping thoughts
Hypervigilance and scanning for what might go wrong
Tight chest or shallow breathing
Sense of dread or anticipation
Urge to avoid a task, conversation, or environment
Anxiety is often rooted in fear, uncertainty, and perceived threat. The thoughts lead, and the body follows.
What helps with anxiety:
Lengthening your exhale to reduce physiological arousal
Naming the fear out loud to make it concrete
Asking yourself, “What is the real threat right now”
Breaking a large task into the smallest possible next step
Grounding exercises that redirect attention to the present
The goal is not to eliminate anxiety but to bring your system back within a tolerable range, where choices feel possible again.
Phase Two: Recognizing Agitation
Agitation is different. It is more physical than cognitive. You feel it before you think it, and sometimes there are no clear thoughts at all, just intensity.
Signs that point to agitation:
Restlessness in your limbs
Difficulty sitting still
Irritability or feeling “amped” for no identifiable reason
Heat in the body or buzzing under the skin
Quick reactions or low frustration tolerance
Agitation is often the body’s way of saying it has too much energy, too much activation, or too much stimulation without a clear outlet.
For many people, agitation shows up when their system has been running too hard for too long, when they have been suppressing emotion, or when they feel trapped in a situation they cannot change.
What helps with agitation:
Slow physical movement such as a short walk or light stretching
Changing sensory input, like dimming lights or lowering noise
Using cold water or a temperature shift to interrupt the activation
Putting your hands on your lower ribs and lengthening your breath from there
A brief, structured release such as squeezing a towel for ten seconds
The goal is to help the body discharge some of its excess activation so the mind can settle.
Phase Three: When Anxiety and Agitation Overlap
Often the two states blend together. You might feel physically restless while your mind is spinning or notice intense worry sitting on top of a wired, uncomfortable body.
In these moments, it helps to identify which piece is louder.
Ask yourself:
Is my mind racing faster than my body
Or is my body more activated than my thoughts
Once you know which system is leading, you can choose the appropriate reset. Thought-heavy states respond better to grounding and cognitive clarity. Body-heavy states respond better to sensory and movement-based interventions.
Examples of combined resets:
Two minutes of slow walking paired with gentle breathwork
Writing down three fears and then switching to a physical grounding exercise
Five minutes without screens or noise followed by a brief check-in with yourself
The aim is not perfection. It is helping the body and mind meet in a calmer middle.
When to Seek Support
You do not have to navigate chronic anxiety or agitation alone. Many people try to “push through,” which often keeps the nervous system activated for longer.
Professional support can be helpful if:
You cannot tell which state you are in
You feel activated most days of the week
Your body signals are interfering with sleep, work, or relationships
You feel ashamed or confused about your reactions
You want structured tools tailored to your nervous system
Therapy can help you learn your patterns, understand the meaning behind each state, and build a more regulated baseline over time.
A Final Word
Your body is always communicating, even when the signals feel loud or contradictory. When you learn to distinguish agitation from anxiety, you gain more control over the next ten minutes and, eventually, over the patterns that shape your daily life.
You do not have to become an expert overnight. The first step is simply paying attention to what your body is saying and offering it a small, compassionate reset. If you want more structured guidance, I support individuals who are learning to regulate their nervous systems and understand the deeper patterns beneath agitation and anxiety. Reaching out can be the beginning of a calmer, more connected relationship with yourself.
