Lachlan Brown
I don’t know about you, but I’ve spent far too many days feeling on edge for no apparent reason.
Everything looks fine on the surface—no major problems, nothing going seriously wrong—yet there’s this low hum of unease buzzing in the background. And for a long time, I ignored it.
In fact, I used to brush it off as just being “tired” or “overstimulated”—labels that made it feel less real, more manageable. But deep down, I knew something was off.
But here’s what I’ve come to realize: sometimes, it’s not the big, obvious stressors that wear us down. It’s the tiny, seemingly harmless things we overlook—the habits, thought patterns, and sensory clutter that quietly build up in our minds.
They don’t demand immediate attention, but they chip away at our calm, like slow drops of water eroding a stone.
In this article, I’ll walk you through some of the most common little things that can give us anxiety without us even realizing it.
I’ll also share how the Buddhist principle of non-attachment has helped me let go of what no longer serves me—and how it might help you too.
1. Constant notifications
Your phone buzzes. You check it. Then you check your email. Then maybe you scroll for a few minutes—just to take a break.
But before you know it, you’ve lost your focus, and that small disruption has derailed your mental rhythm.
This constant influx of information splits our attention and creates a low-level sense of urgency. Even when the content isn’t stressful, the interruption is. Over time, this trains your brain to stay in a heightened state of alertness, which fuels anxiety.
I’ll be honest—I used to keep every app’s notifications on because I was scared I’d miss something important. But all it did was keep me locked in a cycle of reactivity. The real turning point came when I silenced almost everything except calls from my wife and a few work tools. The mental quiet was instant.
2. Cluttered environments
You might not consciously notice it, but your environment talks to your nervous system.
Visual clutter—piles of paper, half-folded laundry, disorganized shelves—can signal chaos to the brain. It can make your mind feel just as scattered as your surroundings.
Psychological research backs this up: clutter has been linked to higher cortisol levels, especially in women. And from a mindfulness perspective, clutter anchors us to the past (things we haven’t dealt with) or the future (things we haven’t yet done).
These days, I do something simple: if an object hasn’t been used or appreciated in six months, I either give it away or recycle it. That rule has helped me clear space not just in my apartment, but in my head.
3. Holding onto unfinished tasks
There’s a particular kind of stress that comes from open loops—those tasks we’ve started but haven’t completed.
You know the ones: the email you meant to reply to three days ago, the shelf you meant to fix last month, the article you meant to finish reading.
Psychologists call this the Zeigarnik effect: the tendency for incomplete tasks to stick in our minds more than completed ones. And while these thoughts may be subtle, they add up. Each one sends the message, “I’m not done yet.”
For me, adopting a simple weekly review ritual has been a game-changer. I spend ten minutes listing out open tasks, deciding which ones I’ll complete, delegate, or let go.
That third option—letting go—embodies non-attachment. It reminds me that not everything needs to be carried forward.
4. Overcommitting socially
Sometimes, we say yes out of politeness or guilt—only to dread the event as it gets closer. Or worse, we go through with it and feel completely drained afterward.
This kind of subtle self-betrayal adds to our stress in ways we don’t always recognize.
When I started tuning into how certain social interactions made me feel afterward, I noticed a pattern. The ones that left me depleted often came from saying yes when I really meant no.
Non-attachment, in this case, means releasing the need to please everyone. It means choosing alignment over obligation. And yes, it sometimes means disappointing others to stay true to yourself.
5. Multitasking
We like to think we’re being productive when we multitask. But in reality, we’re splitting our attention so frequently that we’re never fully present.
Research shows that multitasking reduces cognitive performance, increases errors, and elevates stress.
When I began practicing mindfulness more seriously, one of the first things I noticed was how often I’d switch tabs, check my phone mid-task, or listen to a podcast while replying to messages.
I wasn’t doing anything well—I was just keeping busy.
Living with non-attachment doesn’t mean rejecting productivity. It means letting go of the ego that needs to feel constantly occupied. It means choosing depth over breadth.
6. Passive scrolling
Let’s be honest—doomscrolling is modern-day self-sabotage. Even when the content isn’t negative, the passivity of it trains the mind to be a consumer, not a participant.
That disconnection often leaves us feeling emptier than before.
I’ve found that after ten or fifteen minutes of passive scrolling, I often feel a vague dissatisfaction. It’s not dramatic, but it’s there. That’s the anxiety creeping in through the side door.
Practicing non-attachment here means reminding myself that I don’t need to keep feeding the mind with more input. Sometimes, silence is enough.
7. Lack of transition rituals
We move from task to task, meeting to meeting, screen to screen—without ever pausing to breathe. This lack of intentional transition builds nervous system tension over time. Our minds crave closure, even in small doses.
In Buddhism, the breath is often used as a transition. One conscious inhale and exhale can signify a shift from one moment to the next.
I’ve adopted this by building small rituals into my day—a short stretch after closing my laptop, a few deep breaths before responding to texts, a sip of tea between tasks.
These micro-practices aren’t grand, but they anchor you in presence. They say: “This moment matters too.”
Simple mindfulness exercise: The three-breath reset
Whenever you catch yourself feeling overwhelmed, scattered, or anxious, try this:
- Stop whatever you’re doing.
- Inhale deeply through your nose for a count of four.
- Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of six.
- Repeat this two more times.
That’s it. Three breaths. What this does is signal to your nervous system that it’s safe to relax. It pulls you out of the anxious mind and back into your body.
I use this especially when I’m switching gears—before a call, after reading emails, even after social media. It doesn’t take long, but the reset is real.
Final thoughts: Your peace is worth protecting
Anxiety doesn’t always knock loudly. Sometimes it whispers. And if we’re not careful, we can spend years feeling its effects without ever naming its source.
The good news is that many of these small triggers can be addressed with equally small acts of awareness.
Through the Buddhist principle of non-attachment, we learn that peace doesn’t come from adding more—but from letting go. Letting go of mental clutter. Of unnecessary pressure. Of things that no longer align.
Your peace isn’t a luxury. It’s a foundation. And it’s worth protecting—even from the little things.
So pause. Breathe. Reset. Again and again.
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