The Mental Maze: How Thought Traps Fuel Anxiety

Anxiety is a natural and often helpful emotion. It may even save your life one day. However, almost every conversation about anxiety these days relates to its dysfunctional side. Just saying the word “anxiety” is often enough to create a thought trap. When the internal warning system designed to alert us about risks and threats short-circuits, we can get caught up in a mental maze,

Anxious thinking patterns are the primary symptom of anxiety disorders. Plus, anxiety disorders are the most common mental health condition in the world. Frequently, people with such disorders feel stuck in cycles of thought that seem inescapable. 

What is a Thought Trap?

thinking woman

Out-of-control anxiety can blur the lines between what is real and what is imagined. It can leave a person in a chronic state of high alert even when no danger exists. Cognitive distortions like this shift our perception of reality via thought traps. We get triggered by certain worries and concerns and end up trapped by anxiety — unable to handle even basic daily functions. 

Therefore, it becomes urgent that we learn how to recognize the common thinking patterns that can trigger and fuel thought traps. From there, we can institute the countermeasures we learn in therapy.

4 Common Thought Traps (and some fixes for them)

1. Overthinking 

Rumination is a hallmark sign of anxiety. Anxious people replay past situations over and over. Just as often, they’ll fixate on what might happen next. In other words, they time travel. Half the day, they’re dwelling on the past. The other half is reserved for dreading the future. Meanwhile, life is happening right here in the present moment. 

Mindfulness and grounding are proven tools for evading this thought trap. For example, meditation and breathing exercises have long been effectively used to root people in the present. As for grounding, it’s all about embracing the full-body experience of presence. This might involve finding ways to engage all five senses right where you are.

2. Black-and-White Thinking

When in a thought trap, you see the world in an all-or-nothing manner. Nuance gets tossed aside in the name of seeing everything as solely a win or a loss (spoiler alert: with anxiety, it’s usually a perceived loss). This mindset rolls out a red carpet for perfectionist tendencies. 

One possible antidote is to be a fact-checker. When anxiety tries to reduce a situation to an either-or judgment, ask for evidence. Anxiety is a relentless and skilled liar so call it out and if there’s nothing to back up black-and-white thinking, reject it. 

3. Worst-Case Scenario

Something minor may happen, and your mind instantly rushes to assume the worst. In an anxious mind, it’s hard to accept that anything true is “minor.” That’s when it helps to have a journal. Keep track of these moments. Write down alternative, positive possibilities. This slows down the spiral and gives you a written resource to consult in future moments like this. 

4. Downplaying Positive Outcomes

Another use for the journal discussed in #3 above is to shut down a tendency to ignore when you do well. This can include labeling yourself in very negative ways, e.g. loser, lazy, etc. Thought traps reject positive outcomes because they will easily knock down the house of cards. So, get in the habit of celebrating successes and accomplishments of all shapes and sizes. 

Getting the Help You Deserve

Since anxiety is a diagnosable mental health disorder, the task of escaping thought traps is typically easier said than done. The road to recovery becomes much smoother when you have a seasoned therapist in your corner. If this post resonates with you, we should talk soon. Reach out to learn more about anxiety therapy.

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