02/08/2025
Understanding the Therapeutic Tools Behind “What to Do in an Anxiety Spiral”
This carousel combines strategies from several evidence-based therapies that we regularly use at Infinite Mindcare:
🧠 CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) helps clients identify and reframe the thinking traps that fuel anxiety. We want to show that thoughts aren’t facts, and by changing our internal dialogue, we can shift our emotional experience.
🌀 DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) gives clients powerful, in-the-moment regulation tools — like TIPP skills (temperature, intense movement, paced breathing) and mindfulness techniques — to calm their nervous system and tolerate distress.
🔥 ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention), particularly for anxiety and OCD, teaches clients to face their fears without giving in to compulsions. The spiral weakens each time we expose ourselves to the discomfort without doing the usual “fix.”
💬 Psychoeducation is also a major piece of our work. We teach clients that emotions — including anxiety — are not dangerous. You can’t avoid them. In fact, avoiding or resisting feelings often makes them stronger.
That’s why this post also encourages:
✨ Practice and repetition — You don’t master these skills in one moment. We build them over time, in and out of spirals, like emotional fitness.
🌱 Ongoing regulation practices — Between anxiety spikes, we teach clients how to develop daily rituals (breathwork, grounding, movement, creative expression, etc.) to keep their nervous system more resilient. That way, when a spiral hits, it’s easier to notice it sooner and respond with clarity.
The goal isn’t to never feel anxious. The goal is to recognize anxiety quickly, respond from grounded Self, and keep moving through it with compassion and choice.
