The spiral of anxiety is a bit like flushing the toilet. You know exactly what’s on the other end, but you flush anyway. Oh, and you totally peek before you do, don’t you?
When anxiety spirals out of control, you spiral with it. Your mind, your thoughts and your emotion drown with the darkness. And once you are there amongst the bottom of the deep it is almost impossible to get out.
So how do you stop the spiral of anxiety from looking like that deplorable thing that just flushed down the toilet? How can you hope to stop it from happening in the first place?
Simple.
Don’t flush.

Whoa….
What is the spiral of anxiety?
So, you are sitting in your office at work scrolling through Instagram, watching as the perfect lives of your friends and loved one’s play out in front of you. You begin to think about your own life. You know, the one littered with imperfections because you’re real. Suddenly, a maverick thought approaches. “Am I going to work here for the rest of my life?” And then another. “Is this my destiny? I’m 35, beyond my prime and I am beginning to bald.” And another. “I’ll probably end up alone, this debt is killing me. What type of woman would be interested in me anyway? Good god, I can’t even keep my cats around. Leo got out last week and now he has his own website.” And then, the granddaddy of all thoughts happens.
“I’m a worthless piece of sh—.”
This – is the spiral of anxiety. Or better yet, “The Matrix.”
Although it may not be nearly as flashy, or look as good in leather, the spiral of anxiety can do diabolical things to your mind. One minute, you might be happy as a clam. The next, you’re borrowing though the rabbit hole faster than Dorothy ever did.
The spiral of anxiety is a negative vortex assembled by your mind and only you can stop it. (Only you can prevent forest fires.) But today, the Lion is going to help you.
Rationalize your thoughts and anchor them to reality
The spiral of anxiety is real and if you ever hope to get rid of it you need to change your mindset. When you are spiralling, those improbable things that happen to 1% of people suddenly become the most likely thing to ever happen to you in your godforsaken life. Or, so you think.
But once you step back and think for a second, you will realize your fears are unsubstantiated and a bit exaggerated. Breathe, and think to yourself, “am I overthinking this?” (Trick question.) Yes! Yes, you are. Listen, a spider bit you, but that doesn’t mean you are going to suddenly harness the abilities of Spiderman. Although, that would be awesome. Most likely you’ll get a quite mundane bug bite. But, that’s all. (Just put some cream on it, you’ll be fine.)
Once you begin to think rationally, even amidst the spiral of anxiety you will find that you can break your line of thinking. Tether your thoughts to reality and use the past knowledge of knowing that everything is fine and will be just as fine as it was before.

Shiela, let them down easily.
Erase doubt
So mental gymnastics and breathing techniques are not your thing? Maybe you’re too lazy for yoga and other wellness activities? (Well, if you tend to ruminate on the same subject matter over and over again and there’s something you can actually do about it – then, do it. Why are you still at your computer? Go, now. If you have been thinking about a girl and how she’ll say no to your bridling request of a dalliance – ask her. If your anxiety makes you think you have a heart condition, get checked by a doctor. Getting rid of doubt will give you another ally in your corner, because the next time you spiral you can assure yourself that everything is fine.
Feel free to freak out about your date with Sheila now that she said yes. You’re welcome.

I have been waiting for you Neo….
Stop obsessing about the future.
Stop living in the future. The spiral of anxiety, or anxiety in general, is a by-product of fear and fear is derived from thinking and concerning yourself about the future. This ominous entity you cannot see or stop from happening. You cannot change the future, all you can do is be the best version of yourself today. Essentially, the future doesn’t exist, so stop worrying about it.
Besides, you are not a clairvoyant that can penetrate the veil and see the future and even if you could, nothing is certain, so enjoy your life and rummage a smile from time to time you cranky bastard.
Knowing where it leads
“You’ve been down there Neo. You know that road. You know exactly where it ends. And I know that’s not where you want to be.” – Trinity.
The spiral of anxiety never changes. It always leads to the same place – mainly with you feeling like a pile of poop. But, you don’t have to stay on that ride. Get off now and stop feeding into the spiral. You have full control of yourself and when it comes to anxiety, you are your own worst enemy. So, get off the anxiety express and take a different ride. I hear universal studios is great this time of year.

Or, you know, you could journey into the matrix and dodge some bullets, become the one. Who knows.
Stop the spiral of anxiety by changing the scenery
If you begin to feel the negative spiral of anxiety happening. If the tide is rising fast and the hurricane force winds are about to blow, then don’t just sit there passively and let it happen. Get out! Get up and leave. Go for a walk, a run. Do something. If a chain of thoughts is causing you to feel bad about a situation then do something to stop thinking about it. One of my best suggestions is watching a comedy special, or anything on YouTube. Or, if you are so inclined, read my blog. I hear it’s the cat’s meow – or something.
Thank you Nerdy lion,Future is always fraught with uncertainty resulting in anxiety.Your tips are certainly stress releasing gems.
Thanks, I just hope my words help someone.
Great message! I tend to live in the future. Thanks for sharing your insights 😊
It’s too easy to think about the future, because it avoids us having to face today.
Good point. And the future is filled with possibilities. But so is the present moment if I stop and think about it😊
I agree Sue! Very true.
Agreed
I think a lot of us live in the future. One of the hardest things to do is to focus on the present. That’s why the mental game in sports is so difficult.
Very inciteful! And huge points for Matrix references!
My all time favorite movie!
Stop obsessing about the future, yes! Often times we think so much about tomorrow that we forget to be present today. Great post! 😊🙏🏽
Thank you 🙂
Wow I needed to read that today! Thanks for this!
Hopefully it helps 🙂
“Essentially, the future doesn’t exist” I love that! Well said!
Thanks 🙂
Some great tips here. I’m a big defender of coming back to the present moment as a way out of anxiety
It can be tough to do, but boy it works.
I’m a huge fan of meditation, journaling, and yoga because they promote Mindfulness, self-awareness, and positive life balance.
I love that. A positive healthy mindset scathes off anxiety.
Very true.
Your blog is the cats meow indeed. Very engaging and useful yet humorous. Thanks for the laughs
Purr lol
Comedy saved me. I look for it everywhere and I consume panel shows full of comedians as much as I possibly can. You are the version of that for me with blog posts. Bouts of laughter littered among gems of wisdom.
Thanks dude.
Haha thanks so much!
Hey!
Have a look at my blog !
Thank you for this 🙂
Great tips for an over-thinker like me! 🙂
really enjoyed this! don’t flush!!
I enjoyed this message. When I used to spiral my friend used to tell me I would talk in circles. I would say something negative and no matter how I tried to turn it to something else I always wound up circling back to the same thing. The brain is a very powerful thing and if you think you are poo then you are certainly going to feel like it.
You’re very right about the brain and what an incredible healing mechanism it is! Chronic stress and anxiety attacks used to play a huge role in my daily life. However, after trying many different healing strategies I was able to find a life changing and long term solution. I was able to build new neurological pathways in the higher brain. These pathways were conditioned to sustain a mindset of calm and resilience thereby displacing earlier habits of chronic stress.
That’s absolutely wonderful! Yes, the brain can be reprogrammed and the first step is knowing that we are full of garbage files that need to be deleted. Congratulations on your achievement because that isn’t an easy task. I hope your life is much happier and easier now.
It absolutely it, the program I designed essentially increases the happiness set point and builds a long term mindset of calm and resilience through methods in neuroplasticity
I don’t mean to be a boring doctor (but I am); it is also important to note the difference between anxiety as a day-to-day human emotion, and the proper psychiatric diagnosis commonly referred to as anxiety.
A key criteria for a formal DSM-5 diagnosis of ‘generalized anxiety disorder’ is that “the individual finds it difficult to control the worry”.
https://images.pearsonclinical.com/images/assets/basc-3/basc3resources/DSM5_DiagnosticCriteria_GeneralizedAnxietyDisorder.pdf
I think everything that you said is extremely helpful and that positive thinking has a huge part to play in preventing clinical anxiety, but is someone is struggling to stay positive despite following you advice, then they really should go to see their doctor.
Well said. And I disagree you couldn’t be boring. I found that rather interesting.
Great story, thanks!
Amazing tips… Not easy to follow, but hopefully one day!! It’s hard not to flush though… You don’t want to just leave that shit floating there!! 😞😂
Haha! Very true
You’re very right, these tips are great!! I will also say chronic stress used to play a huge role in my daily life. However, after trying many different healing strategies I was able to find a life changing and long term solution. I was able to build new neurological pathways in the higher brain. These pathways were conditioned to sustain a mindset of calm and resilience thereby displacing earlier habits of chronic stress.
Hey loved these tips! Hopefully I can try and follow them . I’ve just started out my blog and would love it if you read my poem on anxiety and gave me a follow back if you enjoy. Thanks!
Sure I’ll take a look 🙂
Thank you!
Wonderful post and much needed good advice – thank you :O) x
Man! This is the best blog on anxiety control that I’ve ever read!
You don’t know how relieving it is to me. Thanks a lot Leo.
After reading this blog, it feels like that you understand anxiety and it feels so good. Thanks again!! 😊😊
Thanks man! I just hope that my experiences can help other people when they go through it. 🙂
I’ve been a spiraling person for the last few years due to various medical conditions and add age – it’s a difficult thing to ride the roller coaster and occasionally, you just have to take a hard pull on your bootstraps and keep on going. I’ve found by changing my routines around a little bit that I can get through the time periods rather rapidly. I hope this makes sense 😀
Brilliantly put!!! I’m a therapist and this IS EXACTLY the way anxiety coping strategies are… Superb!!! Thoroughly enjoyed the read!!!
I love this! 🙂
Cool!
Great post👌
I wish I could get over the spiral of anxiety. 10 seconds of a negative thought spoils my entire day
You are so right! It has taken me a lot to get close to this point. I just need to act on it more often and stop being afraid of conflict and stop thinking the worst where an outcome (future) will end up! I am getting there and doing better each time. So, great post! Thank you! <3
<3 you got this!
Thank you 🙂
This is probably one of the best anxiety posts I’ve read. I’ve recently started seeking help to combat these negative thoughts. It’s nice to know someone else out there is thinking the exact same things as I am. Thank you for this post☺️
Awesome! I’m happy you feel the same way. I think you’ll find there are alot of like minded people out there
Great read, mindfulness helps heaps.
And always look for the positive in the negative
Interesting perspective!
Thank you 🙂
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