Anxiety Therapist Sacramento - The Anxiety Feedback Loop: Thoughts, Emotions, and Physical Sensations
As an anxiety therapist in Sacramento, I hear from a lot of people who are struggling to understand why they can’t think their way out of an anxiety spiral. Anxiety is a complex and often overwhelming experience that can take hold of our minds and bodies, and leave us feeling scared and out of control. Understanding the mechanics of anxiety can help us make sense of the interplay between our thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations and empower us to unravel its grip.
In this article, I’ll give you a brief explanation of what’s happening in your body and mind and delve into how stressful thoughts, heightened emotions, and physical reactions intertwine. I'll also equip you with a few effective strategies to disrupt this cycle and regain control over your well-being.
How negative thoughts fuel the fire of an anxiety spiral
A key element of the anxiety spiral are “cognitive distortions,” or habitual thinking patterns that tend to focus on the negative possibilities. Our biology is wired to look for the potential dangers so we can be ready to protect ourselves. And so our minds become storytellers, busy trying to make sense out of what we experience with the goal to keep us safe. Stories that routinely focus on the worst possible outcomes - called catastrophizing - amplifies fear and insecurities. It’s absolutely true that a catastrophic outcome is possible, but it’s not the only possibility. Other examples of potential unhelpful thought patterns are all or nothing (black and white) thinking, overgeneralizing, mind reading and jumping to conclusions, dwelling on the negative outcomes and minimizing what went well, and “should”-ing on yourself or others.
These thought patterns are very common and often become ingrained habits that can distort your perception of yourself and others, and are breeding grounds for anxiety. Our minds can become consumed with "what if" scenarios, each more dire than the last. These negative thoughts can spiral into analysis paralysis and sow the seeds of doubt and uncertainty, giving rise to a creeping sense of unease that takes residence in your psyche and your body. The good news is that you can learn to recognize the negative thoughts, open up to other possibilities in addition to the catastrophic ones, and rewrite the story to include the whole range of possibilities from worst outcome to best possible experience.
From mind to body: weird physical symptoms of anxiety
When our negative thoughts spiral into full blown anxiety stories in our minds, a remarkable phenomenon occurs – our bodies respond in both subtle and profound ways. The mind-body connection is a powerful force, and there’s a feedback loop between our brain and the nervous system. Stressful thoughts activate our autonomic nervous system, which controls body functions we don’t usually think about including breathing, heart rate, and digestion. One essential part of the autonomic nervous system is commonly referred to as the fight, flight, or freeze center, which works to protect us from potential harm. One stressful thought can evoke a cascade of physiological effects that prepare us to face a threat that often solely exists in our imagination. These sensations can include heart pounding, rapid or shallow breathing, muscle tension, changes in vision, nausea, and sweating as our body and brain prepares to run or fight, and if neither of these are available, then we freeze or “shut down.”
This symphony of physical reactions perpetuates the anxiety stories as our minds try to make sense out of the symptoms, creating a feedback loop where anxious thoughts generate physical sensations, which in turn amplify our emotional distress, which fuels the anxiety cycle.
Anxiety in our body evokes our emotions
Emotions and physical sensations are entwined in a dance of mutual influence. Our anxiety stories have triggered the fight, flight, or freeze response, which triggers our emotions to be on alert for potential danger. When we feel heightened emotions, our mind and nervous system continues analyzing and problem solving in an effort to figure out what’s happening and create safety. When uncertainty and fear rise up, it exacerbates racing heart, shallow breathing, and muscle tension. We become acutely aware of every bodily sensation, hyper-focusing on each beat of our heart or the catch in our breath. This hypersensitivity, while a product of anxiety, also becomes a catalyst, fanning the flames of our emotional turmoil. This leads back to more negative thoughts that evoke anxiety. Picture a spiral, each rotation pushing us deeper into the clutches of our anxiety.
Breaking the anxiety cycle: strategies to regain control
While the anxiety spiral can be time consuming, disheartening, and exhausting, there is good news! There are many therapeutic approaches that can teach you how to disrupt the spiral of anxiety thoughts, calm the weird physical reactions, reduce the heightened emotions, and foster more ease and calm in your body and mind.
One of the many therapeutic approaches I use as a Sacramento therapist is Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), an updated and more holistic approach to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. With my clients, I teach MBCT techniques to increase self-awareness so you can learn to observe your thoughts rather than get whisked down the rabbit hole with an anxiety story. Once you learn to be mindfully aware of these thought patterns, you can practice differentiating the cognitive distortions from what’s happening in the current moment, and focus on calming the anxiety spiral. Specific techniques to challenge and reframe distorted thoughts empower you to “rewrite” the stories with a more balanced and accurate perspective. Additionally, we can explore how larger social and structural systems impact our lived experiences and subsequently the narratives we create.
I teach my Sacramento therapy clients mindful self-soothing techniques designed to increase self-awareness of your specific cues that your anxiety stress response has come online, and then what to do about it. You an learn practical skills to respond to those anxiety cues with techniques that calm your body and brain and regulate your nervous system. For example, diaphragmatic breathing techniques (belly breathing or 4-7-8 breathing), progressive muscle relaxation, or sensory grounding skills can help short-circuit the physical manifestations of anxiety, sending calming signals to the brain. These are relatively easy techniques that you can learn in session with me, though like any new skill, the more you practice the better they work. If following through on “homework” is another place where anxiety and procrastination show up, we can work together to create a personalized structured accountability plan that supports your learning style.
Learning and practicing emotion regulation skills also helps to recognize your experience in the moment so you can feel more in control and empower yourself to make changes. Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) is another anxiety therapy approach I integrate to reduce the self-critical thoughts and feelings of frustration that tends to exacerbate the anxiety spiral. Self-compassion techniques encourage us to treat ourselves with the same understanding, patience, or support we provide to the people we care most about. With Somatic Therapy approaches, we focus on the mind-body connection to process anxiety triggers or traumatic events, as well as foster positive emotional states such as curiosity, interest, humor, excitement, peacefulness, awe, wonder, connection, and joy. Engaging in regular physical activity can also be helpful for some people to reduce stress hormones and boost mood-enhancing neurotransmitters.
Seeking anxiety therapist in Sacramento
Breaking free from the anxiety spiral is a practical and attainable goal when you invest in your relationship with yourself. It involves rewiring thought patterns, understanding the nuances of your emotional landscape, and nurturing a harmonious relationship between mind and body. Together we can pave the way for a life where anxiety no longer authors your story – a life where you can reclaim the narrative for a tale of resilience and well-being. Schedule your free 15 minute video or phone consultation with me to see if I’m a good fit to support you on your healing journey.
Colleen King Sacramento Therapist