Resolution vs. Solution: How to Alleviate Anxiety and Stop Overthinking

Anxiety often feels like a swarm of free-floating thoughts—unresolved, unanchored, and growing louder by the moment. These thoughts are desperately searching for safety, something to "attach" to, and without that grounding, they spiral out of control. The key to calming anxiety lies in providing those thoughts with their "medicine": either a resolution or a solution.

Let’s break it down.

What Is Anxiety Really Asking For?

At its core, anxiety is your brain’s way of signaling unresolved issues or unanswered questions. It’s like an open tab on your mental browser—always running in the background, draining your emotional bandwidth. To stop this cycle, you need to do one of two things:

Come to a resolution (make a decision).

Find a solution (create a plan).

By addressing your anxious thoughts in one of these ways, you give them a sense of closure and the safety they need to stop spiraling.

The Difference Between a Resolution and a Solution

Resolution: A Decision

A resolution is about making a decision, even if it doesn’t involve solving the problem itself. It’s closing the case, so to speak, by deciding how to handle your thoughts or when to deal with them.

Examples of Resolutions:

• Deferring the Issue:

Imagine you wake up at 3 a.m. in a panic, overwhelmed by thoughts of a project deadline or a personal issue. You may not have the resources or energy to solve the problem right then. Instead, you can say, “I’ll dedicate time on Thursday evening to think about this.”

This resolution doesn’t solve the issue, but it acknowledges the thought and promises to address it later—giving your mind permission to rest. (Important note: When the scheduled time comes, you must honor it!)

• Letting It Go:

Another example is the classic “agree to disagree” in a disagreement. You decide that you’re done engaging with the issue, not because it’s solved, but because you’ve chosen to move on.

In both cases, the anxiety is addressed because you’ve decided what to do with the thought.

Solution: An Answer

A solution, on the other hand, is about problem-solving. It’s finding a specific answer or strategy to tackle the issue at hand.

Examples of Solutions:

• When your mind is stuck in the “what if” loop (e.g., What if I fail? What if they’re upset with me?), instead of avoiding those thoughts, confront them head-on. Ask yourself, “If this happens, what will I do?” Then, create a plan of action.
• Let’s say you’re worried about a missed deadline at work. A solution could be drafting an email to your boss explaining the delay and proposing a new timeline.

Thinking through potential solutions gives your anxious mind the clarity it craves. It shifts your focus from worry to action, replacing fear with a sense of control.

Resolution + Solution: A Powerful Combo

Sometimes, anxiety calls for both a resolution and a solution. For example:

Resolution: “I’ll stop obsessing about this now and revisit it tomorrow morning.”

Solution: “If this problem does come up, here’s how I’ll handle it.”

By combining the two, you address the immediate need for closure (resolution) while preparing for what might come next (solution).

Why This Works: The Antidote to Anxiety

Anxiety thrives in ambiguity. It feeds on uncertainty and grows louder when you avoid or ignore it. By resolving or solving your thoughts, you close those open mental tabs and give your brain a sense of safety and clarity. This doesn’t mean you need to solve every problem right away. But it does mean taking control of how you respond to your thoughts:

Resolve what you can’t fix right now.

Solve what you can fix.

The more you practice this, the more skilled you’ll become at addressing anxiety as it arises.

Closing Thoughts

If you want to live a low-anxiety life, get in the habit of problem-solving and decision-making. Use your brain to think through your concerns, not just dwell on them.

Remember: Floating thoughts are looking to attach to something. Give them a resolution or a solution, and watch your anxiety ease.

Your mind craves clarity. Give it what it needs.

I hope this helps...

-Alana