Weekly Prompt #41: Are there any underlying beliefs or fears that fuel your anxiety?

@ASilentObserver

I feel that fear of failure and success both can lead to anxiety. Most people do not consider the fear of success. Sometimes being successful means more responsibilities, more advanced steps to take, more expectations. The fear of failure is a common reason for anxiety. The belief that your future self will not be able to handle what is coming is a common theme for anxiety. 

You could also attribute it to the fear of procrastination while procrastinating. When you can do something within your power which you are not doing - it tends to cause some form of anxiety in you. You need to remember that taking the action would be much more simpler than struggling with anxiety - whatever the outcome.

The worst form of fear - is the fear of losing the familiar feeling of being anxious. Sometime we are so used to be anxious and blaming it for not taking any steps forward in our lives, we would be ok to suffer with something familiar rather than take steps to conquer it.

@ASilentObserver

i have trouble putting into words what causes my anxiety, but so many of the posts here resonate with me.  I tend to be my own worst critic.   I sometimes feel that when negative words are spoken they are indirectly directed towards me.  A recent in-person incident comes to mind.  There was a point in my life where I felt more confident and was outgoing, but then came all this social media and it makes me more self-conscious.  It seemed to disconnect me from people and my friends more than connect us.  I find myself preferring to be alone much of the time, but I know this is not healthy.  it is a vicious cycle.

@ASilentObserver

My anxiety fuels my anxiety. It's a feedback loop or a cycle that amplifies itself if I take no action on it. Basically negative self talk or self doubt but finding where it starts is a question I've always wanted to know. It just seems to be a feeling without thought which I used to try to tell myself is a good reason to ignore it. It's an empty thought or feeling. It's not though. it's just something I haven't completely dismantled yet and it's a normal human feeling that is a part of our self preservation. So when I'm anxious I tend to listen more these days and don't let my inner self fight with that by himself. What causes it? The broadest answer is life and the human experience as Cookie cutter as that is. I'm more into trying to focus my anxiety and make it a feeling that is on my side again. One day at a time. Everyone's is different though. It's such a personal struggle but I'd rather live with it then without it. A life without stress or anxiety is not a life truly lived. Balance is just hard.

The most common theme that triggers anxiety is fear. Fear of failure, fear of success, fear that our future self will not be able to deal with what’s going to come. This is something that we need to separate from us. We need to isolate the thought which is triggering the fear which in turn is triggering the anxiety. When we isolate the thought and ourselves by bringing some distance between us and our thoughts that’s when we start to have some kind of control over our anxieties.

@ASilentObserver

I constantly believe that the moment I feel any happiness or positivity that bad things will happen, so it is better to just constantly expect the worse and do things to make others happy rather than myself as it would just be wasted on me. 

My anxiety/fear often manifests in, "but what if it does happen?" It also includes a general fear of history repeating itself in one way or another. I've had an interesting life to say the least, and worked very hard to get to where I am today. I dont want anything from the past. There are a lot of painful memories.

@ASilentObserver

I’ve noticed that a lot of my anxiety comes from underlying fears about judgment and not being enough. I often worry that if I make a mistake or don’t meet expectations—whether from mentors, colleagues, or even myself—people will see me as incapable or unworthy. That fear feeds a lot of self-critical thinking and overanalyzing situations.

There’s also a fear of being emotionally vulnerable or misunderstood. I tend to overthink my words and actions, worrying if they’re “right” or if my feelings are valid. This can make me feel trapped between wanting to express myself and wanting to hide to avoid judgment.

Another big factor is uncertainty. I care about being self-sufficient and secure, so situations that feel unpredictable—financially, professionally, or emotionally—can amplify my anxiety.

Overall, I think my anxiety is fueled by a mix of fear of judgment, self-doubt, vulnerability, and uncertainty. Being aware of these underlying beliefs helps me slowly practice more self-compassion and remind myself that it’s okay to not have everything perfectly under control.

@ASilentObserverIg   Thinking about it now, I think one underlying belief I have is that people believe I am weird or different because I am not interested in things that the majority of people around me seem to be interested in. Because of this belief, I believe that people are judging me when I show up as different or express an interest in something that nobody else around me has done.