Anxiety Spiral: Why It Happens & How to Stop It

What Is an Anxiety Spiral?

An anxiety spiral is a mental state where a person’s anxious thoughts escalate out of control and leave them feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope. The spiral begins with a single anxious thought, which triggers other anxious thoughts until catastrophizing takes over, making everything feel like the worst-case scenario will happen.¹

What Happens in the Brain & Body During an Anxiety Spiral?

During an anxiety spiral, the brain’s amygdala sends signals to the body to start pumping out stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. The fight or flight system kicks in, which in turn sends messages back to the brain that a person is in grave danger. This results in a racing heart, sweaty palms, and difficulty taking a deep breath.²

What Triggers Anxiety Spirals?

A lot of different things can trigger an anxiety spiral. Sometimes, it is a big event, like a trauma, loss, or significant life stressor, but sometimes it’s the build-up of ongoing daily stressors and anxiety triggers. A person who is at a baseline level of high stress may find themselves completely overwhelmed and in an anxiety spiral after something relatively small happens.

Common triggers of anxiety spirals include:

• A traumatic event
• Conflict with another person
• Problems at work
• An upcoming test
• Relationship problems
• Health concerns
• Financial stress
• Social and political stressors
• Rejection in a relationship

Impact of Anxiety Spirals

Over time, anxiety spirals can have a profound impact on a person’s mental and physical health. Physically, when a person is dealing with ongoing anxiety, the body is constantly full of stress hormones, which can cause chronic muscle tension, headaches, and gastrointestinal issues. Mentally, they can leave a person feeling emotionally exhausted and begin to interfere with one’s mental health, work, and relationships.

How to Know If You Are in an Anxiety Spiral

You can tell if you’re going into an anxiety spiral because things feel really overwhelming and out of control. The first thing you may notice is a sense of dread or a feeling of nervousness starting to come on. You also may notice physical symptoms like your heart racing, your palms sweating, or feeling like your anxiety is uncontrollable.

Here are some signs that someone is in an anxiety spiral:

• Feeling panicky, like you are trapped or in danger
• Fluttering, nauseous sensation, or tightening in the stomach
• Palms feel cold and clammy or start to sweat
• Heart starts beating faster and may even feel like it is pounding out of the chest
• Heaviness or tightness in the chest
• Difficulty taking a deep breath
• Breathing is quick and shallow

It’s important to be aware of and notice your own warning signs early so you can stop the spiral from getting worse. The main difference between an anxiety spiral and regular anxiety symptoms is that the physical sensations are more intense, your usual coping skills may not work as well, and the anxiety keeps getting more intense.

7 Ways to Stop an Anxiety Spiral

When you are in an anxiety spiral, it means that your nervous system is activated and is telling your body to prepare for fight or flight. In order to stop the anxiety spiral, the nervous system needs to be regulated. Some things that help you start to regain control are breathing, grounding, relaxation strategies, and movement.

Here are seven ways to stop an anxiety spiral:

1. Use Self-Soothing Techniques

Self-soothing and relaxation techniques are important for managing anxiety spirals.  These are coping skills for anxiety that you can use anywhere to help yourself feel calmer and more relaxed. They don’t rely on any special equipment or other people, so you can use them to soothe yourself and allow your nervous system to regulate and the anxiety to come down.

Here are some self-soothing techniques to try:

• Deep breathing: Breathing exercises for anxiety can help an anxiety spiral. Try taking a deep breath in, and a long exhale. Or try box breathing, which is breathing in on a count of 4, holding on a count of 4, out on 4, and holding for 4. Sometimes, an anxiety spiral can make it feel very hard to take a deep breath. If this is the case, just focus on taking slow, shallow breaths.
• Mindfulness: Mindfulness for anxiety can help by allowing you to focus on the present moment without judgment and notice your body and surroundings. Even short mindfulness practices are shown to reduce stress and anxiety.³
• Progressive muscle relaxation: Progressive muscle relaxation is a relaxation technique that can help stop an anxiety spiral by reducing tension in the muscles. To do it, tense and then gradually relax different areas of the body. For instance, scrunch your shoulders up to your ears, then exhale and gently slide them down like you are slipping them into your back pockets.
• Grounding techniques: Grounding techniques for anxiety help you relax by focusing on the present moment rather than your anxious thoughts about the past or future. For example, try the 5-4-3-2-1 method by identifying five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can touch or feel, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. An alternative is to look for items of a certain color or shape, for example, counting all of the green things or all of the squares in the room.
• Cuddle: Cuddle up with your partner, your kids, your pets, a fluffy blanket or stuffed animal. It is believed that cuddling can help regulate your nervous system by releasing Oxytocin, which is a hormone associated with love and trust. This can give you a feeling of safety and calm and reduce anxiety.⁴

2. Try Healthy Distraction

Distraction can be a healthy tool for anxiety and stopping an anxiety spiral. While you don’t want distraction to be your only coping skill, there are times when it can be helpful. Distraction is healthy when it is used intentionally in the short term, but it can become unhealthy when it becomes an unconscious habit or a way to numb out.

Here are some examples of healthy distractions and activities:

• Play a video game
• Watch a funny show or movie
• Do a puzzle or brain teaser
• Play a board game
• Listen to music

3. Call a Supportive Friend

Identify a friend or supportive family member who you can call when you notice the first signs of an anxiety spiral. This could be someone who is willing to listen as you talk things through, someone who can help you come up with solutions, or someone who just makes you laugh. Let them know what you need so they know how to support you.

4. Engage in a Hobby or Other Fun Activity

Getting your hands busy is sometimes the best thing to do when you start to notice an anxiety spiral coming on. Do you have a favorite hobby or activity? Make sure that it can be done easily without a lot of planning or preparation. For instance, if you enjoy knitting or crocheting, have a project handy that you can pick up easily.

5. Go for a Walk

Going for a walk, especially walking outside in nature, is helpful in many ways. It gives you a change of scenery, fresh air, sunlight, and movement. It gives your nervous energy somewhere to go. You can combine going for a walk with calling a friend or listening to music, or you can simply practice a walking meditation, in which you tune in to your senses on your walk.5

6. Shake It Out

An anxiety spiral can make your nervous system and body feel very uncomfortable and agitated, like you are jumping out of your skin or your face is tingling from anxiety. Try standing up and shaking out your arms and legs one at a time. Shake out your hands and fingers, and imagine flinging the nervous energy out of your body.

7. Change Your Temperature

Try cooling off by immersing your face in a bowl of cold water. You can also put a bag of frozen peas or a cold pack on the back of your neck. If it’s cold out, step outside for a minute. Exposure to cold can increase mental sharpness, distract from anxious thoughts, and release endorphins.⁶

How to Prevent Future Anxiety Spirals

There are things you can do to lessen the intensity of, or prevent, an anxiety spiral. These include therapy, lifestyle adjustments that prioritize good self-care, managing stress, and creating a calm and relaxing environment for yourself. Part of prevention is learning to recognize your own early warning signs and take steps to take care of yourself as soon as the anxiety spiral begins.

Here are some effective ways to prevent future anxiety spirals:

Begin Therapy

The best way to prevent future anxiety spirals is to begin therapy. A therapist will work with you to discover your anxiety triggers and the underlying causes of your anxiety and also work with you to develop coping skills for the anxiety.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety is a particularly effective type of therapy for anxiety. It involves acceptance, fact-checking, and keeping thought records, which are all techniques that can help you challenge negative thoughts and reduce their power. These cognitive restructuring strategies can help individuals reframe negative thought patterns and reduce the impact of anxiety spirals.

Begin your search for a therapist by using an online therapist directory to find therapists in your area who take your insurance. Alternatively, an online therapy platform will allow you to search for a therapist who specializes in anxiety treatment from the comfort of your home. It is important to take your time when choosing a therapist because liking and trusting your therapist is crucial for therapy to be effective.

Recognize Early Warning Signs

As you start paying attention to your body and becoming more aware of what you are feeling, you’ll get better at noticing your early warning signals. These could include negative thoughts, feeling overly tired, being irritable, or noticing tension in your neck or shoulders. Once you discover your signals, be vigilant about noticing them and taking steps to calm your nervous system.

Make Healthy Lifestyle Adjustments

It might be necessary to make lifestyle adjustments to reduce stress and anxiety. Getting good sleep, healthy nutrition, and regular exercise are critical for combating anxiety. It’s important to make time for fun activities, self-care, and time with friends or family. Sometimes, this involves making difficult decisions about work, commitments, or relationships in order to prioritize mental health.

Focus on Managing Stress

When baseline stress levels are already high, and you feel like you can’t manage one more thing, this puts you at risk for an anxiety spiral. The way to reduce this is to focus on managing stress through self-care, relaxation, and healthy routines. It may be necessary to make changes to your situation if you are under chronic stress.

Consider Medication

If the anxiety spirals continue in spite of practicing tools and coping skills, or if you feel like nothing is working, it might be time to consider seeing a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can prescribe medication to reduce the anxiety.  You can get referrals from your primary care doctor insurance company or by searching for online psychiatrist options.

Create a Relaxing Environment

Making your home a relaxing space ensures that when you get home, you can begin to recover from any stressors you face that day and de-escalate your anxiety rather than escalating into an anxiety spiral. Making your space relaxing can involve soft lighting, candles, scents, comfortable pillows, blankets, or soft music. Think of your space as a sanctuary where you can relax and let the stressors of the day float away.

Avoid Triggering Books, TV, or Movies

TV shows, books, and movies that are anxiety-producing and contain a lot of violence or human suffering can be a trigger for an anxiety spiral. This might include action, horror, true crime, or even the daily news. Limiting this type of media can help reduce the risk of an anxiety spiral.

Build a Healthy Support System

A healthy support system is important to maintaining mental health. A supportive network of friends and/or family can listen as well as provide validation and encouragement. They can help you solve problems, provide guidance, or just be fun to spend time with. Knowing that others care about you can help you feel less isolated.