6 Ways Your Anxiety is Lying to You
When we feel anxious, various thoughts come to mind, and taking these thoughts too seriously often prolongs the feeling of anxiety. Here are some common categories of thoughts accompanying anxiety, as well as examples of how your anxiety is convincing you to stay anxious. As you read through these, notice which ones show up the most for you in your life.
1. Catastrophizing
Catastrophizing can lead to increased anxiety by envisioning worst-case scenarios and exaggerating negative outcomes beyond realistic proportions. An example of this might be making a small mistake at work and thinking that you will be fired and end up homeless.
2. Emotional Reasoning
Emotional reasoning occurs when your emotions dictate your perceptions. This can lead to irrational conclusions about yourself and the world and result in worsened anxiety. For example, when you feel uneasy in a crowded room, emotional reasoning might lead you to assume everyone is judging you and dislikes you. In this example, your perception is based solely on your emotions.
3. Mind Reading
Mind-reading fuels anxiety by presuming to know what others’ thoughts are. This often leads to further worry and anxiety-led behavior. An example of this would be assuming, without evidence, that colleagues think poorly of your presentation at work, fueling anxiety and self-doubt.
4. Fortune Telling
Fortune telling involves predicting negative outcomes without evidence. This can lead to worry and preemptive distress about the future. For example, approaching a job interview, you might believe that it will go poorly. This can lead to anxiety and actually undermine your confidence during the actual interview.
5. Control Fallacies
Control fallacies occur when one assumes responsibility for external events and tries to exercise that control to prevent negative outcomes; control fallacies can also refer to one feeling powerless over any changes or events. For example, you might feel responsible for a project’s failure, even though external factors and other colleagues contributed - this could lead to increased anxiety and self-blame if gone unchecked.
6. All-or-Nothing Thinking
All-or-nothing thinking, also known as black-and-white thinking, involves seeing situations rigidly, often in terms of success or failure. This fosters a fear of failure and dismisses any middle ground or nuance. For example, when preparing to give a speech, you might believe that any mistake will lead to complete failure, leading to anxiety before the event.
Each of these distortions can significantly increase anxiety, but noticing them and naming them can help take their power away. Practice recognizing these distortions, and notice which show up the most for you this week. As your self-awareness increases, you will likely find that the grip of the anxiety-furthering thoughts loosens, lowering the associated distress and freeing you to engage in things that truly matter to you.