You read the email three times and still cannot decide what it says. Part of your attention is on the words; another part is rehearsing what might go wrong. By the time you reach the end, you have lost the question you were supposed to answer.

Anxiety can include difficulty concentrating, disrupted sleep, fatigue, and physical tension. Those experiences can make an ordinary task feel unusually demanding. They do not tell us, by themselves, whether someone has an anxiety disorder or what is causing a new cognitive change. [1]

How worry can affect thinking

Anxiety can make it harder to concentrate, especially when your attention is occupied by worries, possible problems, or things you feel you need to monitor. [1] You may find yourself rereading information, losing your place in a conversation, or struggling to stay focused on a task.

When attention is pulled toward worry, everyday activities that require remembering details, organizing information, or making decisions may take more effort. [2] These experiences can also be influenced by sleep, stress, ADHD, medication effects, and other factors, so they should not automatically be attributed to anxiety alone.

Name what is competing for your attention

Try describing the moment more specifically than “My brain isn’t working.” You might say, “I’m trying to read the instructions while worrying that I’ll make an expensive mistake.” Now there are two things to address: understanding the instructions and responding to the worry.

Write the actual question at the top of the page. Under it, put the information needed to answer that question. If a worry appears, capture a few words separately so it does not have to become another paragraph in the task. This gives you a visible place to return.

Reduce the demand on memory

Suppose you need to call about an appointment. Keep the phone number, the question, and any relevant dates together before calling. Leave room for the answer and the agreed next step, so you are not trying to remember the whole conversation while taking part in it.

You can also ask someone to slow down or send instructions in writing. These supports can help you participate while you address anxiety; you do not have to wait until you feel completely calm to use them.

What may help in the moment

Reduce competing distractions, write down important information, and focus on one manageable task at a time. If you’re trying to make a decision, identify what you already know, what information is genuinely missing, and the next reasonable action.

You can also try a brief pause, slower breathing, or a grounding exercise before returning to the task. [3] These approaches may help some people manage the moment, but they are not guaranteed to resolve anxiety or concentration difficulties.

Give anxiety its own attention

If anxiety or changes in thinking persist, worsen, or interfere substantially with everyday life, consider discussing them with a qualified healthcare professional. Explain what happens, how often it happens, and what you have begun avoiding. Anxiety treatment can include psychotherapy, medication, or both, selected around the person’s needs. [1]

I would also pay attention to a change that feels different from your usual anxiety. A familiar diagnosis should not become the automatic explanation for every new symptom. Describe the change to your clinician rather than deciding the cause from a stressful afternoon.

Next Steps

When a worry keeps pulling you away from the task in front of you, try Find Your Next Step When You're Worried. It helps you turn that worry into one manageable action, so you can set it down and come back to what you were doing. If one thought keeps coming back, try the Thought Check tool to write it down and find a more balanced way to put it.

If anxiety is also making choices hard, read Anxiety and Decisions: When Checking Stops Helping. If you keep getting ready but never quite begin, read When Getting Ready Keeps You From Getting Started. If the same problem keeps returning, bring one example to a clinician or therapist and ask what support fits.

Sources

[1] National Institute of Mental Health. Generalized Anxiety Disorder: What You Need to Know.
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad [2] Eysenck, M. W., Derakshan, N., Santos, R., & Calvo, M. G. (2007). Anxiety and cognitive performance: Attentional control theory. Emotion, 7(2), 336–353.
https://doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.7.2.336 [3] NHS. Breathing exercises for stress.
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/guides-tools-and-activities/breathing-exercises-for-stress/