Understanding the Cycle of Anxiety: How It Perpetuates and How to Break Free #1742439 (License: Personal Use)

The diagram depicts a continuous loop where an external or internal Trigger initiates Panic, which leads to Worry; that worry reinforces a maladaptive Belief System, prompting Over-control behaviors, which ultimately become new Triggers. Each colored arrow represents a distinct psychological phase-pink for acute panic, blue for persistent worry, green for core beliefs, and red for compensatory control-highlighting how anxiety becomes self-sustaining without intervention.

Used in mental health education articles, therapy handouts, and anxiety disorder resources to help patients and clinicians visualize how anxiety escalates and maintains itself; matches user intent to understand root causes and identify intervention points.