Why Anxiety and OCD Feel So Real (And What to Do About It)
Have you ever had a thought that instantly made your heart race? One that didn’t just cross your mind—it stuck, and suddenly it felt like you were living through the very thing you were trying to avoid?
Happens to my clients all the time. They say, “I know it’s irrational, but it just feels so real.”
Anxiety and OCD are experts at making imagined fears feel like they’re happening right now. Even when you know something isn’t truly happening, your body and brain often respond as if it is.
So why does it “feel so real”—and how do you stop getting hooked?
Let’s talk about it.
Your Brain Reacts to Imaginary Threats Like They're Real Ones
Let’s try something for a second.
Imagine being in a classroom, and someone walks up to a chalkboard and slowly drags their fingernails down it. (Okay, I know schools don’t really use chalkboards anymore—but you get the point.)
Can you hear that screeching sound? Maybe you just got goosebumps or the hair on your arm stood up.
Now picture this: I hand you a bright, juicy lemon. You take a big bite, and all the tart juice floods your mouth. Your jaw clenches. Maybe your eyes squint or your mouth puckers just imagining it.
What did you notice in your body?
For me, just describing that chalkboard gave me goosebumps and made me shiver a little. And when I think about that lemon, I start to salivate.
None of it was actually happening. It was just something you imagined—but your body likely reacted anyway.
That’s the power of your brain. It creates real emotional and physical responses from imagined experiences. And when you live with anxiety or OCD, your brain is extra quick to react to anything that even resembles a threat—especially when you’ve already been sensitized to it.
Your Fight-or-Flight System Doesn’t Care If It’s Real
Your amygdala (your brain’s built-in alarm system) is wired to keep you safe. But it doesn’t stop to ask whether a threat is real or imagined. It just detects danger—and boom… your body responds.
I often explain it to my client’s like this:
Your amygdala works kind of like a smoke detector. Its only job is to alert you to smoke. It doesn’t care if there’s an actual fire or if you just burned the sausages on the stove. The alarm still goes off.
Same with anxiety. Your amygdala doesn’t know the difference between:
A real emergency and turbulence on a plane
An actual threat and a mental image of someone getting sick
Something that’s happening now and something that might happen
And when that alarm goes off, your heart races, your stomach turns, and you start scanning for danger—even if it’s all happening in your imagination.
Feelings Aren’t Facts—But They Are Real Experiences
When anxiety shows up, your brain gives you a story—and your body reacts. That reaction can feel intense and immediate. And that’s what makes it tricky. When a feeling is that strong, it can override your logic.
For example:
You know turbulence is safe. But then the moment the plane bumps or turns you suddenly started internally screaming, "This time might be different."
Or maybe you’re driving and have the thought “what if I hit someone?”—and your stomach drops.
You might catch yourself thinking:
“But what if I missed something?”
“I just feel like something bad is going to happen.”
“What if this time it’s different?”
But pause for a second. Is this anxiety talking—or is it grounded in actual evidence?
You can feel something deeply without it being a reflection of what’s really happening. The story anxiety is telling you might feel urgent—but that doesn’t make it accurate.
How to Slow Down and Check the Story
Here’s a simple way to slow down your thoughts:
Ask yourself: What’s happening right now?
Then ask: Is this feeling coming from something that is actually happening—or is it based on something that might happen or could happen?
Finally ask: Is there anything I truly need to do right now—or can I allow this feeling to pass without trying to fix or analyze it?
You don’t need to dissect every thought or trace its origin. You just need to recognize when your body is reacting to a story (one that lives entirely in your imagination) and remind yourself:
Imagination can be powerful, but it’s not always truthful.
Name the Story Without Adding to It
Try saying this to yourself next time you’re triggered by anxiety:
“Right now, all I know is that my heart is racing. The story my brain is telling me is that this means something bad is going to happen. But there’s nothing in this moment that proves that’s true.”
You’re not trying to argue with your brain—that often turns into a loop that makes anxiety stronger.
Instead, you’re stepping back and naming what’s actually happening:
✅ A physical feeling I’m having
✅ A story my mind is telling me about that feeling
❌ An urgent emergency I need to act on
This distinction matters.
You can also say:
“If something truly dangerous were happening, I could trust myself to respond. But right now, I don’t need to act on this feeling. I can let it pass.”
Just like with that lemon—your mouth might water, but you know there’s no lemon.
Same with anxiety: your heart might race, but that doesn’t mean you need to act on this worry in the present moment.
You Don’t Have to Figure It All Out Right Now
One of the hardest parts of anxiety and OCD is the urgency—that pressure to do something right now. But urgency is part of the trick.
The more you practice noticing your thoughts without reacting, the more you start to break the cycle.
And this takes practice and repetition. You’re building a new skill—one that helps you live with more clarity and confidence.
Therapy can help you strengthen that skill, especially if you feel hijacked by thoughts and sensations that feel true but aren’t grounded in the moment.
Ready to Feel More at Peace?
You don’t have to live in fear of your own mind.
If you're ready to slow down, untangle fear from fact, and start living more freely—we’d love to help.
Schedule a free phone consultation below to learn how we can support you or someone you love.