Selective Attention
Anxiety vs Suffering
Thought-Action Fusion
Imperfect Friend
Automatic Thoughts
The Anxiety Cycle
Process Over Outcome
Productive vs Unproductive Worry
Mental Reps
Perfectionism to Self-Compassion
“Just Think Positive”
Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast
Externalize Anxiety
Perfecting Anxiety
Thought Defusion
Acceptance vs White Knuckling it
Shifting to the Present and the External
Keeping Anxiety on its Leash
Intrusive Thoughts
Safety Behaviors
Rumination is Active
Reassurance Seeking
Challenging Thoughts Too Much
Out of Control
Catastrophizing
Insight and Anxiety
Anxiety is Normal
Short-Term Comfort
Anxiety Loves to Stay Vague
No Fear
The Child Brain, The Parent Brain, & The Grandparent Brain
The Anxiety Cycle
The anxiety cycle is a reinforcing trap. It looks like this:
- Internal or external trigger
- Anxiety sensations
- Anxiety urges us to avoid or escape
- We avoid or escape the trigger
- We experience short-term relief from anxiety
- We reinforce anxiety long term
The amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for our fight/flight response, is great at keeping us alive. The only thing is, it’s not very smart. It says, “I’d rather keep you alive and be wrong about this. Let’s panic now and figure out the details later.” As a result, it constantly sends us false alarms.
When it sends us anxiety signals, it watches how we respond. If it sees us avoiding or escaping, it says, “Oh, my human is running away. I’m right!” It stores this memory and will send us the same signals in similar situations.
The good thing about the amygdala is that it’s open to learning new lessons. The catch is, it doesn’t learn through language or logic. It only learns through experiences and only when it’s sending anxiety signals. If you’re not feeling anxiety, it’s not open to learning.
So, the way out of the anxiety cycle is to actually do the very thing the anxiety is urging us away from. That is, to trigger the anxiety on purpose.
In the short-term the amygdala will get louder. But, as we stay in the triggering situation, the amygdala continues to send false alarms, but it takes note that we’re staying put. This slowly teaches the amygdala that it doesn’t need to keep sending us anxiety sensations.
Want to learn more about this cycle and how to break it? I’m offering a free webinar in 2 weeks: Overcoming Worry and Anxiety. I hope you’re able to join!
Subscribe
Weekly thoughts on anxiety + Event updates
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Understanding & Calming Panic Attacks
Overcoming Worry & Rumination
Helping Kiddos Stand Up to Anxiety
The Anxiety Cycle
The anxiety cycle is a reinforcing trap. It looks like this:
- Internal or external trigger
- Anxiety sensations
- Anxiety urges us to avoid or escape
- We avoid or escape the trigger
- We experience short-term relief from anxiety
- We reinforce anxiety long term
The amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for our fight/flight response, is great at keeping us alive. The only thing is, it’s not very smart. It says, “I’d rather keep you alive and be wrong about this. Let’s panic now and figure out the details later.” As a result, it constantly sends us false alarms.
When it sends us anxiety signals, it watches how we respond. If it sees us avoiding or escaping, it says, “Oh, my human is running away. I’m right!” It stores this memory and will send us the same signals in similar situations.
The good thing about the amygdala is that it’s open to learning new lessons. The catch is, it doesn’t learn through language or logic. It only learns through experiences and only when it’s sending anxiety signals. If you’re not feeling anxiety, it’s not open to learning.
So, the way out of the anxiety cycle is to actually do the very thing the anxiety is urging us away from. That is, to trigger the anxiety on purpose.
In the short-term the amygdala will get louder. But, as we stay in the triggering situation, the amygdala continues to send false alarms, but it takes note that we’re staying put. This slowly teaches the amygdala that it doesn’t need to keep sending us anxiety sensations.
Want to learn more about this cycle and how to break it? I’m offering a free webinar in 2 weeks: Overcoming Worry and Anxiety. I hope you’re able to join!
Subscribe
Weekly thoughts on anxiety + Event updates
By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact