Start with your body, then adjust your day. Simple steps for spikes and overthinking, when to seek other help, and what working with me is like. Plain, practical, Bangalore-based.
Short answer. Start with your body. Slow your breath, put your feet on the floor, look at what is here, and take the worry out of your head and onto paper. Then decide the next tiny move, not the whole plan.
In short:
Anxiety shows up in different skins. A tight chest, a fizzing stomach, restless limbs, or thoughts that sprint ahead of you before your day has even begun can all be forms of it, and it can sit inside perfectionism or avoidance or blow through as a brief spike. Name something you trust. Let your eyes land on it and describe it in plain detail in your head, because bringing your senses to the room can shift the volume on the inner noise by a few clicks.
People ask where anxiety ends and low mood begins. I look at pace, body signs, and how your day shrinks or stretches around the feeling. If you want a longer take on that split, I wrote about it here: Am I depressed or anxious?. Labels are only useful if they free up the next move.
During a spike, work with what you can touch. Put your feet down. Breathe out for longer than you breathe in, and let the out-breath slow you by a notch or two while your eyes quietly find five blue or green things around you.
After the crest, do a small post-check. When did you last eat, how much caffeine is in you, how much alcohol is still in your system, and how much sleep did you get last night or the one before. Give your body something steady like water and something salty or protein. Then change one tiny thing for the next few hours, such as pace or screen noise.
Overthinking is a loop that promises safety or control and rarely delivers. Draw it onto paper. Set a small container for it, such as ten minutes after lunch, and keep the rest of your day for the pieces that actually move life forward, because worry happily swells to fill any space you donate.
I often suggest a quick facts-versus-fears table on plain paper, two columns, nothing fancy. Decision loops also shrink when you give them a window: I will decide between 5 and 5:20, then park it. If work stress is tangled in this, you may find this helpful: Burnout and depression look the same from the inside. Night-time is the noisiest hour, so leave big calls for daylight.
If you have chest pain, new breathlessness, fainting, or you think you might die, go to a doctor or emergency care. Call 14416 for Tele-MANAS if you are in danger or feel unsafe right now. Say it clearly. That line is free and open all day, and they will talk to you in common Indian languages and get you to a local service if needed.
I am a counsellor, not a doctor, and I cannot prescribe. If medication might help, I refer to a psychiatrist or your GP. Consider that route when sleep is broken for days, spikes are frequent and overwhelming, or when your world has shrunk so much that work and washing both feel impossible.
Rafiq is my counselling practice at heyrafiq.com. We start by talking. The name comes from my podcast and, for me, it means the friend who walks with you rather than correcting you, and I do not diagnose; that is my posture in the room as we make sense of what hurts. I work with adults roughly 25 to 45, in English and Hindi, over video and in person in Bengaluru, and the first conversation is thirty minutes and free through a simple form.
Since 2015 I have worked with more than 140 people. There is also a small cafe gathering in HSR, five or so people, the day moves week to week, and it is a conversation space, not counselling. If medication is worth considering we talk about a referral. Sessions can be regular or spaced out, depending on life and need.
Start with tiny, physical anchors you can repeat. Put a glass out. Set a two-minute timer before one meeting today, exhale longer than you inhale, and keep both feet heavy on the floor while your eyes rest on something plain and boring across the room.
Keep a two-line log for a week: a 0 to 10 for anxiety, and what you were doing right then. Patterns often show up without fanfare. If work strain and low energy blur this picture, I wrote more here: What are burnout symptoms, and what actually helps?. Use what makes daily life a notch more doable.
Curious about next steps with me. Read this before you book, because the first session can feel strange and that is common: Why am I anxious after my first session?. Then choose one small experiment to try this week, write it on paper, put it where you will see it, and check back with yourself in four days without grading your performance.
How do I stop an anxiety attack fast?
Anchor your senses first: feet flat, longer exhale, look for four blue or green things, hold something cold or warm. Move your eyes to the far corner of the room. If you feel unsafe right now or think you might be in danger, call Tele-MANAS on 14416. They are available all day.
Is this overthinking or just me being careless?
Overthinking feels busy but few decisions land. Carelessness skips steps you meant to take. Put the loop on paper, set a short daily window for worry, and decide inside that box. Outside it, act on the next small step you wrote down. If nothing moves for weeks, get a first conversation.
Can you prescribe anxiety medication?
I am a counsellor, not a doctor, so I cannot prescribe. When medication might help, I refer to a psychiatrist or your GP. Some people use counselling alone, others use medication alongside it. We can talk through options and what a referral could look like for you.
Do you offer sessions in Hindi and over video?
Yes. I work in English and Hindi. Sessions can be over video or in person in Bengaluru. The first conversation is thirty minutes and free, and booking runs through a form first. We check fit and what you want from counselling before scheduling paid sessions.
How many sessions will I need?
There is no fixed number that works for everyone. We look at what is happening in your life and decide the next step together. Some people come weekly for a stretch, others space sessions out. I do not promise a timeline. The first 30-minute conversation is free to see if we fit.
Written by Satlaj Sachan, a counsellor in Bengaluru working Book a first conversation.