By Renata, Registered Psychotherapist
In Part 1, we explored the biology and origins of anxiety. In Part 2, we look deeper at the internal experiences that keep anxiety activated, including cognitive distortions, attachment patterns, and emotional triggers.
Cognitive Distortions That Fuel Anxiety
Cognitive distortions are thinking patterns that increase anxiety and decrease emotional clarity.
Common ones include:
Catastrophizing
Imagining the worst possible outcome.
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-catastrophizing-5120681
Black and white thinking
Seeing situations as all good or all bad.
Mind reading
Assuming you know what others think.
Fortune telling
Predicting a negative outcome without evidence.
Should statements
Setting rigid internal rules that increase shame.
These patterns are not character flaws.
They are learned survival strategies that once helped you anticipate negative outcomes and stay safe.
Attachment and Anxiety: How Relationships Shape Fear
Anxiety often intensifies in relationships because attachment wounds activate fears of rejection, abandonment, criticism, or emotional closeness.
Anxious attachment may look like:
- over analyzing messages
- worrying about being a burden
- needing reassurance
- fearing emotional distance
Avoidant attachment may look like:
- withdrawing when overwhelmed
- feeling trapped by closeness
- difficulty sharing emotions
Overview of anxious and avoidant patterns:
https://psychcentral.com/lib/what-is-anxious-preoccupied-attachment
Attachment based anxiety is not immaturity.
It is a nervous system shaped by earlier relationships.
Emotional Triggers and Why They Hit Hard
A trigger is not the event.
A trigger is what the event touches inside you.
Anxiety triggers often relate to:
- past experiences
- unresolved grief
- earlier emotional wounds
- unmet needs
- fears of abandonment or rejection
- fears of failure
- shame
Understanding your triggers allows you to respond with clarity instead of reacting from pain.