Weekly Prompt #41: Are there any underlying beliefs or fears that fuel your anxiety?
Hello all and welcome back to another discussion,
A couple of weeks ago, we discussed what kind of behaviors anxiety has caused you to engage in. Thank you to all who participated and shared your thoughts with us. I appreciate you all. I hope all who may read it find it relatable, too. If anyone hasn't shared them yet, please share them here, and I look forward to reading and discussing them with you.
This week's prompt: Are there any underlying beliefs or fears that fuel your anxiety?
There are often underlying beliefs and fears that fuel anxiety and these can be categorized into a few key areas like core beliefs, fears, negative thinking patterns, etc. Let's start to discuss and share these behaviors and I look forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences.
Did you join us in the Anxiety Support Chat? It is available every Wednesday for the entire day.
@ASilentObserver I think most of the anxiety I feel is from the fear of the past repeating itself and it gets stronger each time the past does repeat. This could be about loss, betrayal or just the feeling of not being safe. The fear of something bad happening is always at the front leading all the other negative beliefs. Running away works but then it also creates a fear for if there's ever a situation where it's not an option. It all being a self fulfilling prophesy is also another fear that goes round and round fueling the anxiety.
@BlueDarkAurora
Yes, anxiety reaks habic in my life as well Hypervilengent, paranoid, high levels of fear. I am never able to drop my guard down for fear that if I do something bad will creep upon me. Mistrust of others and never allowing anyone to get too close to me, including my own family. Feels like being trapped in a maze or often as if I am sinking in quicksand.
@WorkingitThrough2 It is exhausting<3 I hope the stress of it all keeps reducing everyday for you. Hopefully someday we'll get to put our armour down and just enjoy life.
@BlueDarkAurora I hear you and can get that you have a deep-seated fear of the past repeating itself, which leads to feelings of anxiety. And this is fueled by past experiences of loss, betrayal, and a lack of safety. If I can ask, how do you think you can address these underlying beliefs and fears?
@ASilentObserver
I primarily struggle with social anxiety which stems from my low self-esteem. I have a lot of negative thoughts about myself: "I'm stupid, I'm awkward, I never know what to say, I do so many things wrong" etc. etc. etc. Sometimes I get so stuck in these thoughts that it's hard to focus on what other people are saying around me. I get panicked and sad, my face turns red and my heart races.
It's slowly getting better by doing different things: meditation (almost) every day, praying, giving myself a lot of positive affirmations for every little thing I do (even emptying the litter box haha), exercise, good sleep and noticing if I get stuck in my thoughts and then focus on the conversation or my breathing.
Patience is really important. I've had really bad thoughts about myself ever since I was a young teenager so it makes sense I can't undo years of harm in just a couple of months. But I'm just grateful things are getting better, even if slowly 🙏.
I hope things will get better for everyone else here too 💖!
@CozyChelly Thank you for opening up and sharing it with us. I am glad you are making some real progress with your anxiety through mindfulness and self-care practices. How do you feel when you notice yourself getting caught up in negative thought patterns?
@ASilentObserver
I don't feel too bad when I catch myself thinking these things anymore, actually. I quickly correct the thoughts and reassure myself! I'm just working on noticing them more often, because I still have moments where I have these thoughts on auto-pilot and don't even realize and I don't want to reinforce these thoughts. With practice and perseverance it'll only get better and better.
Thank you for the great question and thoughtful words!
@CozyChelly It is good to hear that I am glad you are putting so much effort into recognizing and correcting these negative thought patterns. It is good how you have made progress in catching yourself and reframing your thoughts. Please continue to take small steps that lead to significant changes over time.
