6 Habits Keeping You Trapped In The Anxiety Cycle

The anxiety cycle is a frustrating process where something triggers feelings of panic, and then we create habits to avoid those triggers. When we finally do the thing that scares us, the fear becomes more intense than it was in the first place. The cycle continues.

Avoidance leads to more discouragement and can make us feel trapped in this cycle. 

Recognizing harmful habits is the first step to breaking free. 

1. Trying to think your way out of an anxiety attack

Anxiety does not result from flawed thinking but from unhealed trauma caused during an event when we didn’t have the proper tools to process what occurred. 

Trauma changes how our bodies function and, as a result, drives the symptoms of anxiety that we feel in our bodies in our minds. 

When we try to fix our thoughts, it only works for a short while because the root of the issue is not cognitive or in mind; it is somatic- in the body. 

We must return to the body and work through the underlying feelings that drive the panic. 

2. Googling your symptoms – The Anxiety Cycle

We’re guilty of googling our symptoms, but does it ever help us feel better? I would have to say no. When we look to Google for reassurance, we usually see the worst-case scenario and push ourselves deeper into a panic. 

Plus, what about the one-off time you find something reassuring that says, hey, your symptoms aren’t that bad, you’re not dying- would you believe it anyway? Probably not, because all the reassurance in the world will not change what is happening in your body that is causing feelings of panic. 

3. Numbing with Coping Mechanisms – The Anxiety Cycle

When something traumatic happens, and we don’t have a support system to help us work through the incident, we need a way to make the pain disappear- to continue life and survive, so we develop poor habits or addictions.

Coping mechanisms feel like they help, but they only delay the pain for a short time. When we avoid something that scares us, it signals to our brains that it is dangerous and must be avoided. Then when we finally do the thing that scares us, it’s worse than it was to start.

As hard as it is, staying put and allowing yourself to feel the panic, sadness, or whatever emotion comes to the surface is the way to heal. 

4. Focusing on your diagnosis – The Anxiety Cycle

Most of us have some diagnosis, whether it’s General Anxiety Disorder, Depression, or Panic Disorder, or we at least have an idea of what category our symptoms fall into. A diagnosis isn’t bad, but it becomes a roadblock when you allow it to define who you are and how you behave. When we’re told that ‘people with anxiety do ‘this,’ we are more likely to give up hope that we can ever change. 

A diagnosis is a tool, but it is not a manual. 

5. Claiming your anxiety as your identity – The Anxiety Cycle

When we use phrases such as ‘my anxiety’ and ‘I’m an anxious person,’ we push the false belief deeper and deeper into our thoughts that we are not separate from anxiety. 

I still do this all the time! 

I have blamed anxiety for my problems for so long that I thought it was part of my identity.

We can’t change something part of who we are, like our height or natural gifts. That’s why we mustn’t deceive ourselves into believing that we are anxious people. 

Knowing the truth behind anxiety, that it is a dysfunction in how our bodies operate, allows us the freedom to let go of an anxious identity and learn to work through the feelings that cause us discomfort. 

6. Invalidating yourself – The Anxiety Cycle

It’s easy to feel like your problems are ‘not that big of a deal’ when you hear about someone who has it ‘worse.’ But telling yourself that your feelings aren’t important is untrue and hurts your progress. 

Invalidating your pain only gives you more reasons to avoid the emotions that keep you trapped in the anxiety cycle. 

Anxiety is a trauma-based issue; your body does not compare to someone else; it only knows what it feels. Part of healing is accepting yourself fully. If something has significantly impacted you, then it is worthy of acknowledgment. 

We know we shouldn’t have these habits, but how do we break them?

Anxiety is not a problem with how we think but a disconnect within ourselves, so we must reconnect with our feelings by allowing ourselves to work through them without running away. 

This is extremely difficult to do alone because habits are hard to break, especially those we’ve had for a long time.

Working with an experienced coach can help you finally break free of the terrible anxiety and emotional issues you’ve been suffering from so that you can start living a life of freedom.