Hi, this is Monique Rhodes. Welcome to the In Your Right Mind Podcast, where we're learning how to be happier by working with our minds.
If you’d like to know more about what I teach, come to MoniqueRhodes.com take the Happiness Quiz. And let’s see how happy you are — and how we can help you become even happier.
When Anxiety Has No Obvious Cause
I love it when people send me questions. Today’s question is from one of my students, and she asked:
- “Why do I feel so anxious and overwhelmed even when nothing major is going wrong?”
This is such a common experience. One of the most overlooked truths about the mind is this:
It reflects back to us what we’ve been feeding it.
We don’t think in a vacuum.
Our thoughts don’t just appear out of nowhere — they arise from something.
Usually something subtle, gradual, and often without our conscious permission.
And yet, those thoughts shape everything.
Your thoughts create your mood.
Your mood colors your decisions.
Your decisions become your habits.
And your habits create your life.
It all starts with the input.
Your Mind Is a Garden
Imagine your mind as a garden.
What grows there depends on what you plant — and what you allow in.
Some seeds you plant intentionally, but others drift in when you’re not paying attention.
Think about this:
- Scrolling through stressful headlines before bed.
- Falling asleep to a true crime show.
- Waking up to a flood of notifications.
- Spending the first hour of your day watching other people’s “perfect” lives online.
These are all seeds.
Tiny impressions that your mind absorbs.
And because your mind is so receptive, it doesn’t judge — it just stores and repeats.
The Inputs We Forget About
I once had a client who came to me feeling constantly anxious and overwhelmed.
She told me, “Nothing’s really wrong, but I can’t stop overthinking. I feel flat and disconnected.”
When we looked at her day-to-day life, one thing stood out:
her inputs were constant.
She was listening to the news on a loop, scrolling social media every spare moment, watching intense dramas at night, and her phone was the first and last thing she touched each day.
When I gently suggested she take a break from those inputs — even for a few days — she looked at me like I’d asked her to give up oxygen.
But she agreed.
She swapped the news for a calming morning walk.
She started reading a novel at night instead of watching TV.
She deleted social media from her phone.
And she began listening to podcasts that focused on compassion and hope instead of drama.
Within a week, her tone had completely changed.
She told me, “It feels like the static is gone.”
Her life hadn’t changed — her job was the same, her relationships were the same —
but her experience of her life had changed.
Because she changed what she was feeding her mind.
Your Mind Mirrors What It Sees
We often blame ourselves for our thoughts:
Why am I so negative? Why can’t I stop overthinking? Why do I always assume the worst?
But these aren’t random habits — they’re trained patterns.
And most of us have been training our minds in stress, judgment, and comparison for years.
The good news?
The mind is incredibly flexible.
When we change the inputs, we change the environment.
And over time, we begin to feel more spacious, more compassionate, and more at ease —
not because life gets easier, but because we become more stable.
Becoming Intentional
The quality of your thoughts reflects the quality of what you take in.
So ask yourself:
- What am I reading?
- What am I watching?
- What am I listening to?
- What kind of conversations am I having?
Do these things make me feel more calm, open, and grounded — or more agitated, fearful, and disconnected?
This isn’t about being rigid; it’s about being discerning.
Because your mental state isn’t just a reaction — it’s a reflection.
Choosing Nourishment
You don’t need to eliminate every source of stress.
You just need to be more intentional about what you allow in.
We are what we consume — and that includes our mental diet.
If you feed your mind garbage, you’ll get chaos.
If you feed it nourishment, you’ll get clarity.
Start small.
Choose one area of your input that feels cluttered — maybe it’s social media, the news, or endless group chats.
Then ask:
What would feel more nourishing?
Maybe it’s reading poetry instead of scrolling.
Maybe it’s silence instead of another video.
Maybe it’s a real conversation instead of watching people argue online.
When you choose better inputs, you’re not just being productive —
you’re being kind to your future self.
Because the world doesn’t look the way it is —
it looks the way your mind is.
And when your mind is nourished, what you see changes too.
I hope this has been helpful.
As always, please come to MoniqueRhodes.com click on Courses, and join The Happiness Club.
Be kind, take care, and go gently in the world.
