Vicious Cycle Essay Examples

The Vicious Cycle
I have compiled the following notes for you, in order to explain the human stress response.
Helpful reminder:
AFFECT = Feelings, emotions, mood, physiological sensations (e.g. Heart rate, Breathing, Nausea…)
BEHAVIOUR = Actions, what are you saying or doing, or are you avoiding something - Avoidance, Escape, Excuse COGNITION = Thoughts, ideas, beliefs, judgements, attitudes, self-statements etc. Anticipation
In anticipation or preparation, one attempts to prepare to encounter the stressful or anxiety-provoking situation(s). For instance: an individual who experiences socially anxiety may worry for hours or even days about a speech or presentation. In experiencing anxiety, there is a noticeable tendency to worry, trying to mentally prepare or dwell upon the situation, tending to focus on the worst-case scenario. Alternatively, one may attempt to suppress their thoughts and try to stop thinking about it. This anticipatory anxiety inevitably tends to mount as the event draws closer (in time or location). Another common tendency is the attempt to postpone, get out of, or avoid doing things that may provoke an anxiety response. This then, temporarily prevent the cycle from proceeding to the next stage (confronting the triggers). However, eventually one reaches a point and finds that they cannot avoid or escape the
situation any longer and are faced with the challenging situation. ▼
Triggers
Anxiety may be triggered internally, by physiological sensations for instance, tension, the heart racing, shaking, sweating, weakness etc.
Additionally, thoughts, memories or images can appear to come “out of the blue.” Frequently there are specific memories, images, or bodily sensations that seem to be the starting point, or trigger(s). They are initial events perceived as threatening. The focusing of attention on internal events, perceiving physiological sensations, thoughts and images as threatening results in an unhelpful, biased appraisal (evaluation or interpretation) of the situation.
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Cognitions
When anxious, one has a tendency to exaggerate, the probability of something bad occurring. In cognitive-behavioural terms this automatic tendency to focus increasing attention on the hypothetical worst-case scenario is known as ‘catastrophizing’ or ‘what if’ thinking. The individual becoming drawn toward potential signs of threat. Naturally, the more one focuses attention on the worst-case scenario or threatening thoughts and images the more biased and unhelpful thinking becomes and the more anxious one feels. Variations of the following cognitions are quite common: ‘I feel helpless’, ‘I am unable to cope’ ‘I can’t handle this’ ‘the situation is hopeless’.

‘It’s not things that distress us but our judgments about things’ (Epictetus - Stoic philosopher). Cognitions influence our affect as well as behaviour and vice versa; the resulting behaviour and affect leads to unhelpful thoughts, beliefs etc. Cognitions to a significant extent make us feel anxious or stressed. Research clearly highlights the link between our cognitions and our physical reactions (affect). For instance, professional athletes including Olympic athletes are frequently trained in imagining details of their performance. Imagining movement stimulates miniscule muscle movements; reflecting the larger muscle movements made in the actual performance. An everyday example is reading a book, imagining a frightening scene, can result in more rapid heart rate and tension in the body. Put simply, as you imagine, your body reacts. In the case of anxiety, fear and panic, when one perceives for instance an increase in heart rate as threatening, this thought, triggers a series of bodily changes such as perspiration, rapid and shallow breathing etc. As the breathing becomes rapid and shallow, less oxygen supplied to the organs including the heart, resulting in further increases in heart rate. Less oxygen to the brain stimulates the feeling of light-headedness and dizziness. In turn, these symptoms are further perceived as threatening, with this belief (cognition) intensifying the physiological responses.

▼ Affect (Stress/Anxiety) ‘FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real’ (Neal Donald Walsch). Anxiety is an unpleasant feeling. It can peak and become so unpleasant that you may perceive that they could have a heart attack, lose control, lose their mind, go crazy etc. These are common misconceptions, none of which are possible outcomes. Anxiety is unpleasant however, it is not dangerous. Anxiety is a feeling. Additionally anxiety is associated with changes in physiological responses, brain functioning and behavioural (muscular) responses. For example, suddenly gripping another person’s arm or tensing the shoulder muscles as though in preparation to take some form of action. Feeling ‘frozen’, clamming up or feeling speechless is another common response. These are rapid responses to perceived threat. This process referred to as the activation of the ‘primal threat mode’ (anxiety mode). Once this ‘anxiety mode’ of functioning activates, a variety of apparently instant and automatic responses occur. As humans, we have inherited this mode of responding to threat, from our ancestors, it is a primal, evolutionary mode of functioning. In sum, when we perceive a situation as threatening or feel vulnerable or helpless, we send a message to our brain that we are faced with danger or threat, activating the ‘anxiety mode’ and the ‘fight-flight-freeze-faint’ set of responses.

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Actions/Behaviour (Coping) At this stage, there are subsequent deliberate, voluntary and conscious efforts to deal with the perceived threat. These efforts may be healthy, rational and adaptive. For instance: making constructive attempts to solve the problem faced or attempts to re-evaluate the situation. Prolonged, repeated exposure to an event or situation results in habituation; this is one of the most robust findings in research. As adults, it is natural to feel some fear, perhaps feeling anxious about new experiences and challenges (new job, new position at work, driving a new car, learning a new skill or trying a new sport etc.). Once we ‘get used of’ the new experience the level of stress and/or fear reduces. Naturally, we are predisposed to habituate to stimuli and situations. In other words, we become accustomed to and respond to situations we are familiar with in a neutral manner. The habituation process is an adaptive behaviour, it is known as non-associative learning (e.g. classical conditioning and operant conditioning). However, when we perceive a situation as threatening or dangerous in some way, this inhibits the process of habituation. Therefore, taking things one step at a time, talking about things in session, imagining challenging situations repeatedly, practicing techniques relentlessly are fundamental to developing ones coping ability and reducing the appraisal of threat.