A character’s attention can reveal a concern that the narration never names directly. One way to explore this is to let them focus on a small detail while something apparently more important happens nearby.
Establish what the reader can recognise
In an invented scene, a visitor receives difficult news but keeps looking at a loose thread on the host’s sleeve. Give enough of the conversation for the reader to understand the mismatch between the event and the attention.
Do not immediately explain that the thread represents anxiety. Let its recurrence and the character’s behaviour create room for that reading. The same detail might serve a different purpose in another scene.
Test the balance
Read the passage without the small detail, then with it restored. Does the focus change how you experience the conversation, or does it merely interrupt useful information?
Keep the viewpoint consistent with what the character can perceive. A carefully chosen distraction can make a reaction specific without requiring a diagnostic label or a long account of feelings. The exercise works when the reader can sense the larger event while understanding why this particular mind keeps returning to something smaller.