The Anxiety Cycle: Learning the Problem and Breaking Free
Health anxiety is a relentless cycle, isn’t it? You feel something—maybe it’s your heart, your breathing, or a strange sensation. Panic sets in, and you spiral. You Google, you seek reassurance, and maybe you even end up in a doctor’s office or hospital. But no matter what tests you pass or assurances you receive, the relief is fleeting. The symptoms return, and you’re back where you started.
Why? Because no one explains the why—why your body feels this way, why the symptoms are so real, and why it’s not “all in your head.”
Here’s the truth: What you’re dealing with isn’t just anxiety—it’s chronic anxiety. And this isn’t “just a mental health issue”; it’s a neurological condition. Let me explain.
Why Your Symptoms Feel So Real
Chronic anxiety works hand-in-hand with your nervous system. When fear arises, your brain and body react by going into survival mode. Over time, if you respond to fear in ways that reinforce it—like avoiding certain situations, seeking constant reassurance, or hyper-focusing on bodily sensations—your nervous system starts to change.
This process is called neuroplasticity, and it’s the same mechanism your brain uses to learn any new skill. Just like riding a bike becomes second nature after repeated practice, your nervous system can be “trained” to become hypersensitive to fear and bodily sensations.
Every time you act on fear—whether that’s checking your pulse, Googling symptoms, or avoiding triggers—you’re essentially telling your brain: “Yes, there’s danger here. Keep watching.” And so, your nervous system listens even more closely, amplifying every little sensation until even normal bodily functions feel terrifying.
The Anxiety Cycle
Here’s how the cycle typically works:
Symptom: You feel something—heart palpitations, dizziness, chest tightness, etc.
Fear: Your mind jumps to worst-case scenarios. “What if it’s serious? What if it’s life-threatening?”
Action: You react to the fear by seeking reassurance, avoiding triggers, or hyper-monitoring your body.
Reinforcement: Your brain interprets your actions as confirmation that there was something to fear.
Repeat: The nervous system becomes more sensitized, and the symptoms intensify.
How to Break the Cycle
The good news? The same neuroplasticity that created this cycle can help you break free. The process is simple—but not easy. Here’s what it takes:
Act As If You Believe You’re Fine You’ve had medical assurance that your body is healthy. You don’t need to feel convinced; you just need to act as if you are. That means:
No more Googling symptoms.
No more asking for reassurance.
No more monitoring your body with apps, gadgets, or frequent checks.
No more avoiding activities out of fear.
Face the Fear Recovery means doing the scary thing: resisting the urge to seek reassurance or avoid triggers. Yes, you’ll feel fear—it’s inevitable. But every time you choose not to act on that fear, you’re retraining your brain. Over time, the fear fades, and your nervous system becomes less reactive.
Be Patient This process isn’t instant. Just like it took time for your nervous system to become sensitized, it takes time for it to desensitize. But it will happen if you stick with it.
Focus on Behavior, Not Belief You don’t need to believe you’re okay to get better. Recovery is about changing your actions first. Eventually, your belief will catch up as your symptoms start to fade.
What No One Tells You About Anxiety
One of the hardest parts of health anxiety is the lack of explanation. Doctors can tell you, “You’re fine,” but they rarely explain how anxiety can create such real, physical symptoms. Here’s the truth:
Your nervous system is powerful. It can cause palpitations, dizziness, chest pain, numbness, and more. These sensations are real, but they’re not dangerous.
The symptoms come from a malfunction, not disease. Your nervous system is hypersensitive, but it doesn’t mean there’s anything physically wrong with you.
Reassurance won’t help in the long run. It might soothe you temporarily, but it keeps the cycle going.
My Experience: Proof That Recovery is Possible
I know this process feels like because I’ve lived it. I’ve had all the symptoms you’re feeling—and more. I’ve been where you are, stuck in a hospital bed surrounded by doctors telling me I was fine, yet unable to believe them. It wasn’t until I stopped seeking reassurance and started acting as if I was okay that I began to recover.
It isn’t easy, and it isn’t quick. But slowly, my nervous system is starting to calm down. The symptoms are fading, the fear diminishing, and I am getting my life back.
Your Path to Recovery
If you want to break free from the anxiety cycle, ask yourself this: Do I want my life back? If the answer is yes, it’s time to stop feeding the fear. Change your actions, face the discomfort, and trust in your body’s ability to heal.
It won’t be easy, but I promise it’s worth it. You’re not broken—you’re just stuck in a cycle. And cycles can be broken.
