Breaking Free from Anxiety: The Common Thought Traps That Keep You Stuck

Anxiety is a paradox. One minute, it can literally save your life. The next minute, it’s telling you elaborate, pernicious lies that can lure you into traps. Anxiety is designed to protect us, but when it’s not operating in a functional manner, you can get stuck in cycles of distorted thinking.

Simply put, if we slip into self-sabotaging patterns, we can lose the ability to discern real from perceived threats. We can live inside a loop of imagined dangers that allegedly loom inside every phone call or negative social media comment. Allowing these cognitive habits to persist is setting yourself up for a chronic series of thought traps.

What Do You Mean By “Thought Trap”?

Someone dealing with an anxiety disorder often lives in a steady state of hypervigilance, even when no risks or threats are present. They are easily triggered, and the more this happens, the more likely it will keep happening.

On some level, anyone in this situation knows something is “off.” Therefore, they may get caught in thought traps that seemingly make sense out of it all. If we can explain away the irrational fears, it serves to temporarily soothe us that what we’re doing is a form of self-care. Let’s take a look at how this can play out.

The Common Thought Traps That Keep You Stuck

All-or-Nothing Thinking

There’s no gray area here. In your mind, the world is black-and-white, and nuance is dangerous. Asking someone to dance at a party could thus be deemed as too risky to try. What if they decline and I’m left to look foolish? This can result in perfectionism that’s really just a fear of failure. What you need is some guidance on becoming your own fact-checker because you’re getting some bad advice from your internal monologue.

Rumination

To be anxious is to overthink. Analyze, fixate, obsess — and then start all over again. Whether you’re replaying the past or imagining a dreadful future, the last place you are is in the present moment. Anxiety cannot thrive in the presence of mindfulness. An experienced therapist can help you cultivate the tools and skills you need to be right here, right now.

Emotional Reasoning

As time passes, another source of confusion and distress emerges when emotions are mistaken for facts. It can be a volatile thought trap to accept a momentary feeling as an objective truth.

Assuming the Worst

People with high anxiety may allow the worst-case scenario to become their default setting. At the first hint of a problem, their minds accelerate to assume a disaster. Since this is rarely ever the case, some people have found success in keeping a journal. If you document how often you expected the worst and it turns out to be minor, it can be a helpful tool in therapy.

Denying the Positive

All of the above can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. You get so used to dwelling in fear and low expectations that you find it difficult to acknowledge when things go well. You find reasons to disparage a successful moment and use it as “proof” to continue your self-sabotaging behaviors. Your journal can come in handy for documenting positive experiences and reflecting on them in times of anxiety.

So What Can You Do About It?

Everyone gets caught in a thought trap from time to time. However, those who are dealing with chronic anxiety may need to talk to a professional. Your weekly sessions can be a safe space to explore the patterns and habits that have you feeling stuck. Anxiety can be reigned in, and thought traps can be less alluring. It all starts with a phone call. Reach out today to get started with anxiety treatment.