The Start of 2026 Feels Different and You Are Not Imagining It

As we move through the beginning of 2026, I am noticing something clear in my work with clients. People feel overstimulated in a way that feels different than before. Even those who usually manage anxiety well, or who made it through holiday gatherings, family dynamics, and end of year stress, are showing up feeling unusually scattered, irritable, and on edge. There is a sense that something shifted as the year began.

Anxiety and OCD are not just present. They are turning up the volume in nervous systems that are already tired.

When overstimulation becomes your baseline

A lot of clients describe feeling like their mind is in too many places at once. That can look like:

• Feeling mentally fragmented or unable to focus
• Feeling emotionally reactive, or emotionally flat and disconnected
• Feeling isolated, yet overwhelmed by noise and information
• Feeling intermittently angry, tense, or powerless

Underneath all of it, there is often a quieter thought that is hard to name but easy to recognize.

I should be doing more, but I do not know where to start.

From a nervous system perspective, this makes sense. When stimulation is constant, your brain stays on alert. Work demands, caregiving, decision fatigue, social media, and nonstop information do not give your system a clear place to land. There is no natural off switch, so the body stays braced.

Why anxiety and OCD feel louder right now

When your nervous system is running hot, your mind shifts into protection mode. You might notice:

• Thoughts speeding up and feeling more intrusive
• Existential worries taking center stage
• A stronger urge to check, research, or stay informed
• Feeling less grounded or present in your day to day life

This is also showing up in how many people are consuming information. The desire to stay informed clashes with the emotional cost of constant exposure. For anxiety and OCD, especially existential OCD, the news cycle can intensify fears about the future, increase feelings of helplessness or moral pressure, and pull you into rumination that feels impossible to shut off. Modern media is not designed to soothe the nervous system, so scrolling can leave you feeling both wired and exhausted.

In that same search for certainty, some people are also turning to tools like AI to help them feel grounded. In the moment, it can feel reassuring to ask a neutral source to explain what you are feeling or help you make sense of a fear. For OCD, though, reassurance can quietly turn into another form of checking. Relief can feel real, but it often fades quickly, which pulls you back into asking again. If you have noticed this in yourself, you are not doing anything wrong. It is simply another way a stressed nervous system tries to find relief.

Moving from reassurance to regulation

In therapy for anxiety and OCD, we often work on shifting from reassurance seeking to nervous system regulation and tolerance of uncertainty. That can mean noticing the urge to check or ask before acting on it, pausing to ground in your body instead of searching for answers, practicing letting unanswered questions exist without engaging them, and rebuilding trust in your internal sense of enough.

This does not mean you can never read the news or use helpful tools. It means learning how to engage intentionally, rather than reflexively. Relief that comes from regulation tends to be quieter, slower, and longer lasting than relief that comes from reassurance.

When you are overwhelmed, grounding needs to be brief and doable. Try one of these:

• Press your feet into the floor and notice the contact
• Name three things you can see and one sensation in your body
• Place a hand on your chest and take one slow exhale that is longer than your inhale

You do not need to feel joyful or grateful all the time to feel more regulated. Instead, notice what is already there. A moment of warmth. A familiar sound. Your shoulders dropping a fraction. Your body softening just slightly. Micro moments help calm an overactivated nervous system and rebuild steadiness from the inside out.

When it might be time to reach out for support

If you are feeling overstimulated, scattered, or stuck in cycles of anxiety, existential OCD, or information overload, therapy can help. Working with a therapist in Washington who understands OCD and nervous system regulation can support you in slowing the spiral, setting boundaries with information, and reconnecting with yourself.

Online therapy can give you a place to slow down, make sense of what is happening in your mind and body, and learn tools that actually fit your life. Crescent Moon Therapy offers online therapy for women across Washington State, including Seattle, Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Olympia, Puyallup, Auburn, Spokane, Vancouver, and many communities in between.

The year may have just begun, but you do not have to carry this alone. Schedule your free consultation to see if online therapy is the right fit.