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It's A Trap: A look At The Anxious Cycle

10/7/2019

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Star Wars figure holding a Chinese Finger Trap
Anxiety can be a vicious cycle, often changing from physical symptoms, thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. The cycle can happen so naturally that people often don’t recognize that it’s even occurring.

Sounds rough, right? For many, this is their day to day cycle and it can be exhausting. I like to think of stress as if it was a Chinese finger trap. Stress is harder to get out of the more you struggle. But don’t you fear. You have control over your own anxiety.


Hard to imagine when we are in the negative cycle, but we do have power over our anxiety. We have the power to filter out the unnecessary negative thoughts before they become beliefs and behaviors. Similarly, we can reverse back some of the negative effects of prior thoughts (which have already turned into beliefs). 
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​Sounds daunting doesn’t it? I promise that it gets easier with practice. Taking this strategy one step at a time can prove to be very helpful.  We start by observing the thought and allowing other conclusions. For instance, if the thought was “I’m the worst employee” then we can consider alternative results by looking at the evidence. 1) I have only been late once 2) I never got negative feedback from my supervisor 3) I’ve been promoted within the last few years. Looking at the evidence, we can see that the original concern was a cognitive distortion (check in next week for a post on the different types of cognitive distortions).
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Still sound like a lot? That’s okay. This process might feel hard or awkward at first. It’s trying to undo some thoughts that we may have had our whole lifetime. Keep practicing and I’m sure you will get it. If you’re ready to start the process, contact a psychotherapist in your service area. 

Stay well,
Megan Bowling, M.A., LMFT



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    About The Author:  Megan Bowling, M.A., LMFT is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Orange, California.  She has been in the mental health field for more than eight years. Megan's specialties include: anxiety, trauma, life changes, mood, relationships, and school challenges.
    Megan Bowling LMFT is located in Orange CA 92868.  She specializes in individual and couples therapy.


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Megan Bowling, M.A., LMFT 
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist | CA #100409
P: 714.519.6041  |  e:mbowlinglmft@gmail.com
22600 Savi Ranch Pky Ste A28 Yorba Linda, CA, 92887
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