Anxiety has a way of making everything feel like a swirl. Thoughts race, the body tenses, and it can seem as if nothing exists outside of the storm. In those moments, it’s easy to forget there’s more to you than what’s spinning inside.

Here’s the reminder: you are not the swirl. You are what holds it.

Think of a snow globe. Shake it, and the snow rushes in every direction. It’s messy, overwhelming, impossible to see clearly. But the globe itself never changes. The container is steady.

It’s the same with you. Feelings can fly everywhere. Thoughts can scatter. Nervous systems can scream. But underneath it all, there is a container that holds it. You don’t have to fix the swirl. You only need to remember it’s happening inside something steady.

If snow globes don’t resonate, try another image:

You are the sky, not the storm clouds.

You are the riverbank, not the rushing water.

You are the mountain, not the fog.

You are the house, not the messy room inside.

You are the cup, not the coffee sloshing around.

The image isn’t what matters; the remembering is.  Because the swirl will do what swirls do. Sometimes it calms, sometimes it keeps moving. Either way, the container doesn’t crack. The steady part of you doesn’t disappear.

There’s a strange kind of freedom in that. To notice the storm and also notice what holds it. To realize both are true at the same time.

So the next time anxiety spins, pause. Feel the swirl. Then feel the container. Let both be here.

You are not the swirl. You are the container. And that is enough.

And if none of that works? Fine. Be the soup. Be the messy room. Be the storm clouds. At least remember this: even chaos needs somewhere to live. The question was never whether you could hold it, only whether you’d remember you already do.

Embracing Shadows, Illuminating Hope,
Chelsey Fjeldheim, LCSW
Empowering Souls on the Path of Healing

Copyright © 2025 Chelsey Fjeldheim, Courage Speaks Counseling