The Ping-Pong Cycle of Anxiety
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You may wonder, “Why can’t I calm down?” It’s hard to relax when persistent anxious thoughts of worry override your day. Anxiety, caused from trauma or major life changes like the loss of a loved one, divorce, empty nesting or moving, can cause a “ping-pong” cycle where you feel stuck between feeling stopped with futility and frustration and then thrusted forward with nervous energy.
Ping…
The intensity of anxiety can become so strong that you may find yourself avoiding your feelings and yourself by engaging in numbing activities like overeating, drinking, sleeping, or surfing social media. Your anxiety may stop for awhile, but it quickly resurfaces. The avoidance from numbing can cause feelings of fear, guilt, shame and obligation.
Pong…
Now because what you’re feeling anxious about has still not been resolved, you may find yourself staying so busy overworking, caretaking, or overextending yourself, you feel agitated because it’s difficult to calm down.
Life races back and forth like a ping-pong with little time for enjoyment and when you do slow down, your mind may race to catastrophic thoughts (What will I do if….???). Chronic anxiety left untreated can be harmful to your health and contribute to depression.
There is a way to stop this match of anxiety ping-pong from continuing with therapy by getting more heart centered. We get to the source of what is causing your anxiety and explore new ways for coping so that you feel more calm, confident and empowered again.
