Can anxiety just stop?

When my mind is unoccupied with my thoughts, I tend to overthink about events that have happened during the day and I make myself panic. If I cannot overthink about recent events, I go back weeks even and overthink about a situation and ultimately I panic. When I write something on a paper or email, I need to re-read it like 4 times before I trust that the thing I have written is okay to send out and it just drives me insane because sometimes after I have written it, checked it and then sent it, I still overthink and think I have written the wrong thing.
Asked by Eternal
Answered
10/26/2022

Hi there, 

I hope you are well. 

I can see that you would like to know if anxiety can just stop. You appear to recognise that when your mind is unoccupied with thoughts, you tend to overthink about events. You mention that this process creates panic. You notice this when writing things down, you have to check things several times before you believe it is ok to be sent, and even then, when you have sent it, you still over think it. 

Anxiety is an emotion that everyone experiences, like anger, happiness, sadness etc. Our anxiety is there to let us know that something doesn't feel ok and can include feelings of fear and worry. For some, this can become overwhelming. In addition, people can also experience anxiety disorders which require further intervention. 

We usually experience anxiety when we are in a situation that triggers feelings of worry or fear. Our body reacts to these feelings creating physical responses such as racing heart, breathing faster, clammy hands, trembling, feelings of butterflies in your stomach or feeling nausea etc. Do you recognise the physical responses you experience when you are anxious?

From your question, it appears as though your anxiety is triggered by thoughts, particularly thoughts about events or things you have done/want to do. It seems as if you are in a cycle where your thoughts create feelings of anxiety which then lead to behaviours around responding to the thoughts. For example, you write something down, you think you have written the wrong thing (thought), you feel anxious (feeling), so you check it over and over again (behaviour), send it and then worry it is still wrong (back to the thought again), and so the cycle continues.

Can anxiety just stop? Yes and no, it depends on the type of anxiety. For example, if you are experiencing anxiety prior to a job interview, it's not uncommon for this to dissipate when the interview is over, like a "phew! that's finished! It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be". Anxiety can be a good thing as it promotes responses from us, so we worry we won't do well in an interview so we prepare more etc. However, if your anxiety is overwhelming you, it can reach a point where it actually prevents you from acting, it can create negative thought patterns and cycles of behaviour which are difficult to just stop. This is where it can be helpful to consider other types of intervention such as counselling or therapy. You can also explore "self help" books and worksheets, which are readily available online (if you don't feel you are at a point where you need therapy etc.). 

As your anxiety shows up in thinking patterns, particularly overthinking, I would recommend starting with addressing the thoughts. Consider things like: 

  • When and where did the thought happen?
  • What situation was I in (just before, during and after the thoughts)?
  • What was the automatic thought I experienced?
  • What emotions did this bring up for me? 
  • Is the thought realistic? Evidence that agrees with the thought and evidence that goes against the thought?
  • Could I see this situation differently? Is there an alternative thought?

The more you challenge your thoughts, the more chance you have of breaking the cycle of negative thought patterns. 

It's important to remember though that automatic thoughts cannot be stopped, they will just happen, however, you can choose how to respond to them moving forward, this is where exploring the thoughts and challenging them can be really helpful. 

I hope that this answer has been useful. If you need anything further, please get in touch. 

Thanks 

Kim