Use Metacognitive Distancing to Regain Control

You’re rushing through the morning, toast in one hand and phone buzzing in the other. A flash of panic hits—you’ve forgotten an appointment. Your throat tightens and your heart pounds. For a moment, you’re that panic.

Then you remember to pause and try something new: you whisper to yourself, “I’m having a thought that I’m going to be late.” Suddenly you’re not fused with the anxiety—you’re observing it. The buzzing phone, the half-eaten toast, your pounding chest—they’re all pieces of the experience, not the whole.

You breathe out, noticing that naming the thought loosens your chest. The panic doesn’t vanish, but it softens. You tell yourself you’ll call the office and let them know.

In that small moment of awareness you shift from autopilot to observer. Science calls this metacognitive distancing: when you step back from your thoughts, they lose their power. It takes practice, but with simple naming you reclaim control.

Next time your day spirals into anxiety, press pause and silently observe the thought as a separate event. Use “I’m having the thought that…” to put a bit of distance between you and the panic. Notice how your breathing changes and whether the tension in your chest eases. Over the afternoon, let your timer remind you every two hours to name a random thought and watch it float away rather than drown you. Give your mind that breathing room today.