How To Break Anxiety Thought Patterns

Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in the world. Everyone experiences fear and worry from time to time, but anxious thoughts go far beyond that, and they can be both overwhelming and crippling.

Unfortunately, anxiety is also often cyclical. The more you struggle with worrying thoughts, the worse they are likely to become. Without the right kind of help, anxiety can threaten to take over nearly every aspect of your life.

Thankfully, it’s possible to break anxiety thought patterns and take control of your mental well-being. Let’s cover some strategies you can use to start combating anxious thoughts, so you can finally break the cycle.

Identify Your Thoughts

When you’re struggling with anxiety, you might be tempted to try to “ignore” your anxious thoughts or push them down so they can’t take over. Unfortunately, that hardly ever works and is likely to make things worse.

Instead, choose to identify your anxious thoughts. What triggers them? What causes them to recur and form patterns in your life? Once you have that basic information, you can start to challenge the validity and truth of those thoughts. Are they based in reality, or are they distorted, somehow?

Reframe Your Thoughts

When you have a clear understanding of what your anxious thoughts are, you can start to reframe them in a positive, realistic light.

Replacing negative thoughts with more helpful ones can take time, especially if you’ve been dealing with anxious thought patterns for a while. One of the best ways to start is by practicing mindfulness. It will keep you grounded in the present instead of carrying you away with the “what ifs” of anxious thoughts. Mindfulness can help you observe your thoughts without judgment, so you can develop a clearer picture of which thoughts are valid and which ones are not.

Keeping a journal is also a great way to challenge your thoughts. It can serve as a physical log to help you identify patterns. It can also give you motivation on days when fighting back seems more difficult, as you can look back on how far you’ve come.

Practice Self-Care

Anxious thoughts are negative thoughts. If you give in to that negativity, it’s going to impact nearly every area of your life. Self-care practices can promote positive perspectives and change the way you see your anxious thoughts.

Self-care is different for everyone, so find what works for you. It might include daily exercise, eating healthy meals, and getting enough sleep. Choose to do things every day that promote your overall well-being, and you’ll be stronger and more equipped to fight back against negative thought patterns.

Find Support

It’s important to remember that you’re not alone. Seeking support from friends and family, and especially looking into anxiety therapy, can make a big difference.

It’s okay to open up to your loved ones about how you’re feeling. Anxiety can make you want to withdraw from the people you care about, but that will make those thought patterns worse. Instead, share your experiences. You might be surprised to find out that others close to you have had struggles, too. Sometimes, just being able to vent can throw a wrench in the cycle of anxious thoughts.

Therapy is often the best way to not only manage the symptoms of anxiety but to halt the negative patterns causing so much distress. Working with a therapist will help you get to the bottom of what’s triggering your anxious thoughts. You’ll also learn strategies to challenge those thoughts and feel more in control.

Anxiety can wreak havoc on your life. But, it doesn’t have to control you forever. If you’re ready to take charge and break the cycle, contact me today to set up a consultation.