How to Escape the Anxiety Feedback Loop

Anxiety can feel like being stuck on a hamster wheel—your thoughts race, your body tenses, and before you know it, you’re spiraling. That’s the anxiety feedback loop in action. But the good news? You can step off the wheel. Let’s talk about how.

How to Get Out of the Anxiety Feedback Loop

The anxiety loop thrives on fear and reaction—you feel anxious, your mind sounds the alarm, and your body responds like you’re in danger. The trick is interrupting the cycle before it pulls you deeper. Here’s how:

• Pause & Notice – Instead of reacting, take a moment to acknowledge what’s happening. “Okay, I’m feeling anxious. That’s what this is.” Naming it helps.
• Ground Yourself – Shift your focus to something tangible. Breathe deeply, wiggle your fingers, or press your feet into the floor.
• Challenge Your Thoughts – Anxiety loves worst-case scenarios. Ask yourself: Is this thought 100% true? What’s a more balanced way to see this?
• Take Small Actions – Anxiety makes you want to freeze or avoid. Instead, do something small—stretch, get a drink of water, text a friend. Small steps break the cycle.

The key? Be patient with yourself. Anxiety wants you to believe you’re stuck, but you’re not.

What Is the 3-3-3 Rule for Anxiety?

The 3-3-3 rule is a simple trick to pull yourself out of anxious overthinking and into the present moment. Here’s how it works:

1. Name 3 things you see – Look around and list three objects in your environment.
2. Name 3 sounds you hear – Tune in to the background noise—birds, a fan, distant traffic.
3. Move 3 parts of your body – Wiggle your toes, roll your shoulders, stretch your fingers.

It’s a quick reset that shifts your focus out of your head and into the real world.

What Is an Anxiety Loop?

An anxiety loop is the cycle of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that keep anxiety going. It looks something like this:

1. A thought triggers anxiety (“What if I mess up this presentation?”)
2. Your body reacts (heart races, muscles tense)
3. You try to escape the feeling (avoid the situation, overthink, seek reassurance)
4. Your brain learns that anxiety = danger and repeats the cycle next time

Breaking the loop means responding differently—breathing through the discomfort instead of avoiding it.

What Is an Example of a Feedback Loop?

Let’s say you get nervous before social events. Here’s how the anxiety feedback loop plays out:

• Thought: “What if I say something awkward?”
• Feeling: Heart pounds, stomach tightens
• Reaction: You avoid the event
• Result: Your brain reinforces that social situations = danger

Now, next time, the anxiety is even stronger. That’s the loop. But you can rewrite it. Instead of avoiding, try going and staying just 10 minutes. Over time, your brain learns: This isn’t as scary as I thought.

Final Thoughts

Anxiety tricks you into believing the only way to feel better is to avoid, overthink, or control. But true relief comes from breaking the cycle, not feeding it. Small shifts—breathing, grounding, challenging thoughts—create real change. And you don’t have to do it alone. Therapy can help you learn how to step off the anxiety wheel for good.