The Vicious Cycle of Anxiety – And How to Break Free

How to Break the Anxiety Cycle

Anxiety can feel like a never-ending loop. You worry, you feel stressed, and the more stressed you are, the more you worry. It becomes a vicious cycle—one that affects your thoughts, behaviours, emotional and physical wellbeing. But here’s something empowering: you can break that cycle.

What is the Anxiety Cycle?

Anxiety often stems from anticipating a future event or fearing a potential threat. It pulls you out of the present moment and into a mental space filled with “what-ifs.” You begin to worry about what could go wrong, and that worry fuels physical and emotional stress.

The more you worry, the more stressed you feel—

The more stressed you are, the more you worry.

And the cycle continues…

Temporary Coping Strategies Can Backfire

To cope with anxiety, people often turn to quick fixes. These might provide temporary relief but usually worsen anxiety over time. Common avoidance strategies include:

• Overeating and snacking

• Smoking or vaping

• Drinking alcohol

• Taking medications or drugs

• Avoiding social interactions

• Procrastinating over stressful tasks

• Relying on others for reassurance

• Always having an “escape plan”

While these might soothe anxiety in the short term, they reinforce a subconscious message: “I can’t handle this.”

Why anxiety keeps coming back?

Avoidance doesn’t resolve anxiety—it postpones and ultimately INTENSIFIES it!

Anxiety cycle explained: Anxiety is Just a Sensation

Anxiety might feel overpowering, but it’s not dangerous. It’s a series of nerve impulses creating physical sensations. These feelings—while uncomfortable—are not harmful.

Recognising anxiety is a habitual response to a ‘ ‘perceived’ - often ‘catastrophised’ fear, helps shift the narrative. New habits can be trained.

How to Break the Anxiety cycle

Your subconscious mind is responsible for your automatic responses. But the exciting part? It can be trained. Through conscious action and small, consistent changes to your behaviour, you can teach your body and brain to respond differently.

This can include:

• Breathing techniques

• Grounding exercises

• Reframing negative thoughts

• Seeking professional help

• Practising regular self-care and mindfulness

With time, these practices help rewire your response to stress and release anxiety instead of just managing it.

Final Thoughts

You don’t have to stay stuck in the anxiety cycle. Once you understand what’s happening and why, you can start to take conscious control of your reactions. You can transform anxiety from a barrier into a breakthrough to create lasting freedom.

Want to explore support options? I offer a free discovery call to help you decide if one-to-one sessions (on-line or in person) are right for you. Book a free discovery call today

With warmth,

Suzi Tyler

suzi@rapid-health.co.uk