Siddarth Shukla

Breaking Free from Mental Traps

We’ve all been there—caught in a web of our own thoughts, spiraling deeper into a cycle of anxiety, doubt, and overthinking. Negative thinking has a way of trapping us in a loop, feeding on itself, and making it harder to see any way out. It’s a vicious cycle, but the good news is that once you identify the stages, you can start breaking free from it.

The cycle of negative thinking can be understood as a pattern with distinct phases: The Anxiety Attack, The Excuse Maker, The Overthinking, The Overanalyzing, and The Defeated Thinking. These phases tend to feed into one another, creating a loop that keeps us stuck.

1. The Anxiety Attack: The Initial Panic

An anxiety attack usually strikes out of nowhere. It’s triggered by something you might not even fully understand, but your subconscious has had enough and forces the issue into your conscious mind. Suddenly, your body is reacting—your heart rate spikes, your palms get sweaty, and you feel an overwhelming sense of panic.

Your brain is overwhelmed with the worst-case scenarios: What if everything goes wrong? What if I’m making a terrible mistake? These feelings take over, and inaction becomes inevitable. When you’re in this stage, it’s like your mind and body are locked in a struggle, with fear paralyzing you from moving forward. The anxiety attack is the starting point of the cycle and the catalyst for everything that follows.

2. The Excuse Maker: Victim Mentality and Avoiding Discomfort

Once the initial anxiety subsides, the next phase kicks in: The Excuse Maker. This is when your mind begins to rationalize why it’s better to stay where you are. Instead of addressing the root of your anxiety, you start coming up with reasons why taking action isn’t worth it.

This is where the victim mentality sneaks in. You tell yourself that things are out of your control, that external forces—your job, your family, or even society—are responsible for your situation. You might say things like: It’s not my fault, there’s nothing I can do. This thinking provides a comforting illusion that the situation is beyond you, but it only serves to keep you stuck.

Another common excuse is the belief that there’s no pleasure or reward to be found in acting. You think, Why even bother? I won’t get anything out of this situation. This mindset is particularly dangerous because it not only rationalizes inaction but also drains the motivation to even try. This type of thinking may seem harmless, but when you adopt this attitude for most things in life, you end up consistently avoiding anything uncomfortable or challenging.

3. The Overthinking: Diving Into the Details

After you’ve convinced yourself that taking action is too risky or pointless, you enter the next phase: The Overthinking. At this point, you start obsessing over every little detail. You try to predict every possible outcome, imagining how things could play out. But instead of making things clearer, this only adds to the confusion.

Overthinking creates more uncertainty and doubt. You end up drowning in the details, unable to see the bigger picture. Every small decision becomes a major dilemma, and you begin questioning your ability to make any decision at all.

4. The Overanalyzing: Picking Everything Apart

Once you’re caught in the trap of overthinking, it’s only natural to move into The Overanalyzing phase. This is when you start dissecting every possibility, trying to find the “perfect” solution. You go deeper into your thoughts, second-guessing every option and picking apart every scenario.

At this stage, you’re no longer thinking logically—you’re stuck in analysis paralysis. The fear of making the wrong choice keeps you from making any choice at all. You convince yourself that there’s always more to think about, another angle to consider, another layer to peel back. The result? Total inaction.

5. The Defeated Thinking: Giving Up Before You Start

After going through the stages of anxiety, excuse-making, overthinking, and overanalyzing, you arrive at the final phase: The Defeated Thinking. This is the point where you throw your hands up and say, What’s the use? It’s never going to work anyway. You convince yourself that it’s safer to do nothing, that trying will only lead to failure.

Defeated thinking is the most damaging phase because it solidifies your inaction. You’ve gone through so much mental turmoil that you end up completely exhausted and demoralized, making it impossible to move forward. In this phase, the cycle starts to repeat itself, feeding back into the initial anxiety and keeping you locked in a loop.

Breaking the Cycle: Awareness is the First Step

The cycle of negative thinking is a mental trap, but it’s one you can break free from. The key is to recognize when you’re caught in each phase and challenge the thoughts that arise. Here are a few strategies to break the cycle:

• During the Anxiety Attack: Breathe. Slow down. Remind yourself that most worst-case scenarios never come true. Focus on the present moment rather than future fears.
• When You’re Making Excuses: Challenge the excuses. Ask yourself, Are these reasons valid, or am I just afraid of stepping out of my comfort zone? Acknowledge if you’re adopting a victim mindset and remind yourself that taking responsibility is the first step toward change.
• While Overthinking: Limit your thinking time. Give yourself a set amount of time to consider your options, and then make a decision. You don’t need to have all the answers right now.
• When Overanalyzing: Stop seeking perfection. There is no perfect decision, only the best one you can make with the information you have. Move forward, and learn as you go.
• In the Defeated Thinking Phase: Shift your focus from failure to growth. Even if things don’t work out perfectly, you will learn and grow from the experience. Failure is not the end—it’s part of the process.

Conclusion: Taking Back Control

Negative thinking can be a powerful force that keeps us stuck, but it doesn’t have to control us. By recognizing the cycle and actively working to break it, we can take back control of our thoughts and actions. The goal is not to eliminate all fear, anxiety, or doubt, but to prevent them from dictating our choices.

It’s important to remember that the cycle of negative thinking thrives on inaction. The best way to break the loop is by taking small, consistent steps. Don’t let anxiety, excuses, or overanalysis keep you from moving forward. The more you practice challenging these thoughts, the more you’ll build resilience and break free from the cycle.

So, what stage are you in right now? What’s holding you back, and what small step can you take today to move forward? Once you break the cycle of negative thinking, you’ll find that taking action isn’t as daunting as it once seemed.