What is the Cycle of Anxiety?

Anxiety comes with uncomfortable, tense, and worrisome feelings that can’t disappear; but can try to be avoided. This means the source of the anxiety is being avoided, or numbing out the troublesome feeling. Avoidance can only work for so long, then the problem will fester and come back worse than before. 

“The cycle of anxiety is a process where a person avoids their fears, and as a result, those fears grow increasingly powerful. Avoidance becomes increasingly difficult to resist, and the anxiety continues to grow worse. Many anxiety treatments work by breaking this cycle. They focus on facing fears, rather than avoiding them (www.therapistaid.com.)”

In this video, the cycle of anxiety is broken down and explained step-by-step, by Woody Schuldt, a mental health counselor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CAd9o9OlqM

In this Coping Skills: Anxiety worksheet, you will find four strategies for reducing anxiety. Strategies include deep breathing, imagery, progressive muscle relaxation and challenging irrational thoughts. The coping skills can help you deal with anxiety when it arises, as well as contributing to long-term anxiety relief. 

In the worksheet, will be a brief description and instructions how to perform each skill. After reviewing; practice at home. The more you practice, the more effective the skills will become. 

https://www.therapistaid.com/worksheets/coping-skills-anxiety.pdf