Anxiety and Executive Functioning Skills: Understanding the Connection and How to Strengthen Both

In recent years, conversations about anxiety and executive functioning have become more mainstream—and for good reason. Both play a major role in how we move through the world, manage our responsibilities, and respond to stress. Yet despite their importance, many people don’t realize just how deeply anxiety can impact the brain’s ability to plan, problem-solve, stay organized, and follow through. Understanding this relationship is key to building practical strategies that help people of all ages feel more capable, confident, and in control, whether at home, in the classroom, or through parent coaching support.

This cornerstone guide breaks down what anxiety is, how it affects executive functioning skills, early signs of struggle, and what you can do to strengthen both areas.

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a normal human emotion that alerts us to danger and motivates us to prepare for challenges. But when anxiety becomes persistent, overwhelming, or disproportionate to a situation, it shifts from protective to disruptive. Excessive anxiety can make everyday tasks—like getting out the door on time, starting a project, or making decisions—feel daunting.

Anxiety often brings physical symptoms (racing heart, muscle tension), cognitive symptoms (constant worry, intrusive thoughts), and behavioral symptoms (avoidance, perfectionism). These symptoms alone can be difficult to manage—but they also directly interfere with executive functioning.

What Are Executive Functioning Skills?

Executive functioning (EF) skills are the mental processes that help us:

• Plan and prioritize tasks

• Start and complete activities

• Manage time effectively

• Regulate emotions and impulses

• Stay focused and shift attention when needed

• Keep track of materials and information

• Solve problems flexibly as situations change

These skills are crucial for success in school, work, relationships, and daily life. When EF skills are strong, life feels more predictable and manageable. When EF skills are struggling, life can feel chaotic, disorganized, or overwhelming—often feeding back into anxiety.

How Anxiety Impacts Executive Functioning

Anxiety and executive functioning are closely interconnected, often forming a cycle that can be difficult to break.

1. Anxiety Floods the Brain With “Threat Mode”

When anxiety activates the brain’s fight-or-flight systems, the prefrontal cortex—the brain region responsible for EF—becomes less accessible. This means tasks that require planning, decision-making, or flexible thinking become significantly harder.

2. Worry Consumes Mental Space

Anxiety monopolizes working memory. Instead of using mental bandwidth to organize, problem-solve, or focus, the brain is busy running worst-case scenarios.

3. Avoidance Prevents Skill Practice

Avoiding challenging or anxiety-inducing tasks feels relieving in the moment, but ultimately:

• Weakens follow-through

• Reduces confidence

• Reinforces fear

• Limits opportunities to develop EF skills

4. Perfectionism Causes Overthinking

Perfectionism—often rooted in anxiety—causes people to spend excessive time planning, fixing, or redoing tasks, leading to:

• Difficulty starting (“I’m afraid it won’t be perfect”)

• Difficulty finishing (“It’s not good enough yet”)

• Difficulty choosing (“What if I choose wrong?”)

5. Emotional Dysregulation Interrupts Focus

When anxiety escalates, emotions become harder to regulate. This disrupts:

• Working memory

• Task initiation

• Impulse control

• Sustained attention

As a result, even simple tasks can feel impossible.

Signs That Anxiety Is Affecting Executive Functioning

Although everyone experiences stress, persistent patterns may signal that anxiety is interfering with daily functioning.

Common signs include:

• Chronic procrastination

• Difficulty breaking tasks into manageable steps

• Trouble making decisions (even small ones)

• Feeling overwhelmed by routines or transitions

• Avoiding new or challenging tasks

• “All-or-nothing” thinking

• Forgetting important responsibilities

• Losing track of time

• Emotional outbursts or shutdowns when overwhelmed

• Perfectionism that delays progress

If left unaddressed, these patterns can impact school, work, relationships, and self-esteem.

How Strengthening EF Skills Can Reduce Anxiety

The relationship between anxiety and EF goes both ways. While anxiety disrupts executive functioning, building strong EF skills can reduce anxiety by creating more predictability, structure, and confidence.

Why EF skills help:

• Clear plans calm the nervous system. Anxiety often stems from uncertainty; EF skills create clarity.

• Routines reduce decision fatigue. Predictable systems minimize overthinking.

• Time management reduces last-minute stress. Feeling on top of tasks reduces panic and self-criticism.

• Organization creates a sense of control. External order supports internal calm.

• Breaking tasks into steps makes challenges manageable. This shifts the brain from “threat mode” to “action mode.”

• Improved self-regulation helps stop anxiety spirals.

In essence, strong EF skills provide the structure needed to keep anxiety in check.

Practical Strategies for Managing Anxiety and Strengthening EF Skills

1. Establish Predictable Routines

Routines reduce uncertainty and free up mental space. Start with:

• Morning routines

• After-school or after-work routines

• Nighttime wind-down routines

Keep routines simple and consistent.

2. Break Tasks Into Smaller Steps

Anxiety magnifies the size of tasks. Breaking tasks into 2–5 minute steps makes them easier to start and less intimidating. Try using:

• Checklists

• Task-breakdown worksheets

• “Just the first step” strategy

3. Use External Supports

These tools reduce cognitive load and support working memory:

• Timers

• Calendars

• Visual schedules

• Task apps

• Post-it reminders

• Whiteboards

Externalizing information relieves pressure on the brain.

4. Practice Emotional Regulation Techniques

Helping the nervous system return to a calm state allows EF skills to “come back online.” Effective strategies include:

• Deep breathing

• Grounding exercises

• Mindfulness practices

• Body scanning

• Short movement breaks

• Progressive muscle relaxation

Just 1–2 minutes can make a meaningful difference.

5. Build Time-Management Habits

Try:

• Time blocking

• Using alarms for transitions

• Estimating how long tasks take

• Planning backward from deadlines

Over time, these habits reduce last-minute stress.

6. Challenge Avoidance Gently

Small exposures build confidence.

Ask: “What is one tiny step I can tolerate doing?”

Reward effort—not perfection.

7. Aim for “Good Enough” Work

Perfectionism paralyzes progress. Practice choosing “done” over “perfect.” Mantras help, such as: “Progress over perfection” or “Done is better than ideal.”

8. Seek Support When Needed

Therapy, executive function coaching, and parent coaching can provide tools, structure, and accountability to strengthen skills and reduce anxiety over time.

When to Seek Professional Help

If anxiety or executive functioning challenges are significantly impacting daily life—school, relationships, work, or mental health—it may be time to reach out for additional support from a parent coach.

Consider getting help if you notice:

• Persistent avoidance

• Panic attacks

• School/work refusal

• Trouble functioning independently

• Emotional outbursts triggered by frustration

• High levels of perfectionism

• Disorganization that affects performance

• Difficulty completing basic routines

Early support can prevent patterns from becoming long-term struggles.

Final Thoughts

Anxiety and executive functioning are deeply interconnected—each one shaping the other. When anxiety is high, executive functioning skills weaken. But when EF skills are strengthened, anxiety becomes easier to manage.

The good news? Both areas are highly teachable. With the right tools, structure, and support from Finding Focus Therapy, anyone can build the skills needed to feel more grounded, organized, and confident in daily life.

Support Your Child’s Anxiety and Executive Functioning With Personalized Parent Coaching in Boulder County, CO

If anxiety and executive functioning challenges are making daily life feel overwhelming, parent coaching in Boulder County, CO can help your family find clarity and confidence. A skilled parent coach can offer practical tools, compassionate guidance, and structured support tailored to your child’s unique needs. Reach out to Finding Focus Therapy today to begin building the systems and skills that help your child thrive. Follow these three simple steps to get started:

1. Book a free 15-minute consult to see how parent coaching in Boulder County, CO can support your child this season.

   
   

2. Connect with a parent coach for simple, effective tools that ease holiday anxiety.

   
   

3. Build more calm, connection, and confidence as your family strengthens executive functioning skills and learns to manage anxiety together.

   
   

Click Here to Begin Managing Anxiety!

Additional Services Offered at Finding Focus Therapy

As holidays and shifting routines bring added stress, it’s common for both kids and adults to notice their executive functioning skills feeling strained. At Finding Focus Therapy, I support parents, adults, and young adults who want to feel more grounded, organized, and confident—especially during demanding seasons when anxiety and overwhelm tend to peak. Together, we’ll identify the patterns disrupting your routines and create practical systems that help you plan effectively, follow through with tasks, and stay steady when life becomes unpredictable. For parents, coaching centers on managing family demands while protecting your own well-being; for adults and young adults, it’s about building clarity, structure, and confidence across school, work, and daily life.

More than improving executive functioning, the aim is long-term transformation—developing routines and habits that actually fit your lifestyle and reduce stress in meaningful ways. In a warm, collaborative space, we’ll strengthen the skills and mindsets that help you feel capable, focused, and present in the moments that matter. You’re also invited to explore the blog for additional neuroscience-informed strategies and everyday tools to support you throughout the year.

About the Author

Liz Morrison, LCSW, is a therapist and executive functioning coach in Boulder, CO, and the founder of Finding Focus Therapy. With over a decade of experience, she helps parents, young adults, and adults build practical systems and skills that create more calm, clarity, and confidence in daily life. Liz understands the strain of juggling responsibilities and offers a warm, practical, and grounded approach that makes meaningful change feel achievable.

In addition to her one-on-one work, Liz leads trainings and workshops for schools, organizations, and community programs. These sessions give participants actionable strategies for managing stress, improving focus, and creating supportive routines. Whether she’s helping parents navigate family challenges or guiding adults through burnout, Liz is dedicated to helping people move from overwhelm to a greater sense of stability and control.