Let me paint a picture for you because we've all been here:

You wake up in the middle of the night, reach for your phone to check the time, and notice an eerie shadow on the wall.

Your body braces, and you're suddenly wide awake, heart pounding, certain for a moment that an intruder MUST be lurking in the corner.

You squint to get a closer look, only to realize it's just the sweatshirt you threw half-inside the laundry bin earlier that evening.

You instinctively relax. Take a deep breath. Your heart slows down.

You shuffle to the bathroom in a drowsy haze, climb back into bed, and drift off to sleep.

Crisis averted.

Your anxious moment peaked and passed within a matter of seconds because you realized nothing alarming was actually happening.

And this is often how anxiety works when our brains recognize that a perceived threat isn't really a threat after all. Our bodies begin to settle, and we can move on.

How Overthinking Keeps Anxiety Going

So why, then, do some anxious moments seem to last for hours or even days?

One common reason is overthinking.

Something happens, or you experience an initial anxious thought or feeling. But instead of allowing that experience to be what it is, your mind jumps in with additional anxiety-provoking thoughts.

What if this all falls apart and I lose everything?

OMG, what if I was super awkward or inappropriate earlier and now they think I'm ridiculous?

I just felt my heart skip a beat. What if I have some hidden heart condition that's about to take me out?

These ruminating and catastrophic thoughts are like pouring gasoline on a fire. They fuel the anxiety we're already experiencing, reigniting our fear again and again.

And here's the tricky part.

Your brain sometimes struggles to distinguish between what you’re imagining and something that’s actually happening in real life, so imagining a threatening scenario can trigger a very real stress response in your body.

Sweaty palms. Increased heart rate. Muscle tension. Lightheadedness.

And when your nervous system is activated in this way, your mind may generate even more anxious thoughts in an attempt to make sense of what you're feeling.

Before you know it, you're caught in a vicious cycle.

Overthinking → Nervous System Activation → More Anxious Thoughts → Even More Nervous System Activation

This anxious spiral might feel big and obvious, like a full-blown panic episode. Or it might feel like a slow, endless burn of low-grade tension and worry that follows you throughout the day.

Either way, it's exhausting.

How Do You Break the Anxiety Spiral?

Start by intervening in an area where you have some influence: how you respond to your anxious thoughts.

You cannot always control that first thought that pops into your mind. But you can learn to respond differently rather than getting pulled into endless rumination, catastrophizing, and imaginary worst-case scenarios.

This might look like slowing down, taking a gentle breath, and noticing and labeling what you're experiencing in that moment.

Instead of following your mind down the What If rabbit trail, you might say:

• I notice I'm feeling anxious right now.
• I notice my heart is beginning to race.
• I notice my mind is introducing several worst-case scenarios right now.

 And then, rather than trying to figure out whether every scary possibility could come true, you gently help your brain and body reorient to what's actually happening in the present moment.

You don't have to answer the urgency in your body and brain with more worry and catastrophizing.

You can allow anxiety to be present without continuing to feed it with more anxious thinking.

You can let that wave of anxiety do its thing while you care for yourself right here in the present moment.

Learning a Different Way to Respond to Anxiety

Of course, this may feel difficult at first because it's not the way you're used to responding.

When you've spent years trying to think your way out of anxiety, spiraling can feel far more familiar than choosing something different.

And that's okay. These patterns take practice to change.

This is where anxiety therapy can help you develop new mental habits, grow in emotional awareness, and learn practical strategies to navigate these moments without getting pulled deeper into the spiral.

If you're tired of the anxious spirals that seem to steal your time, peace, and sleep, I'd love to help.

Reach out today to explore working together.