Anxiety Cheat Sheet

I.

Anxiety External Reasons

1. Trauma
1. Acute Trauma: Sudden, intense distress from a single event.
• Example: Experiencing a car accident.
2. Chronic Trauma: Ongoing exposure to distressing situations.
• Example: Growing up in an abusive household.
3. Complex Trauma: Multiple, varied traumatic events over time.
• Example: Enduring repeated bullying at school and neglect at home.
2. Overthinking
1. Future Tripping: Excessive worry about things that haven't happened yet.
• Example: Obsessing over a job interview weeks in advance.
2. Overanalyzing or Mindreading: Assuming you know what others are thinking.
• Example: Believing your friend is upset with you because they replied late.
3. Rumination: Repeatedly thinking about past mistakes or regrets.
• Example: Continuously replaying an embarrassing moment from years ago.

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Anxiety Internal Reasons

1. Inner Critic
1. Perfectionism: Setting unrealistically high standards for yourself.
• Example: Feeling anxious if your work isn't flawless.
• Solution: Focus on progress over perfection.
2. Underminer: Doubting your abilities due to fear of rejection.
• Example: Not applying for a promotion because you think you’ll fail.
• Solution: Remember, you fail every try you don't take.
3. Taskmaster: Pushing yourself relentlessly to avoid seeming lazy.
• Example: Never taking breaks at work out of guilt.
• Solution: Rest is always part of strategy.
4. Inner Controller: Avoiding pleasure out of fear it will harm you.
• Example: Refusing dessert because you fear losing control.
• Solution: Enjoying your temptation in moderation doesn't affect you.
5. Guilt Tripper: Worrying about repeating past mistakes.
• Example: Feeling anxious about making decisions after a previous error.
• Solution: It's not a mistake, it's a lesson.
6. Molder: Changing yourself to avoid being left out.
• Example: Hiding your true interests to fit in with friends.
• Solution: Individuality and authenticity are also important.
7. Destroyer: Believing you lack worth or value.
• Example: Thinking you don’t deserve praise or success.
• Solution: You have worth and value.
2. Imposter Syndrome
1. Perfectionism: Believing anything less than perfect is failure.
• Example: Feeling like a fraud if you make small mistakes at work.
2. Expert: Feeling inadequate unless you know everything.
• Example: Hesitating to speak up unless you’re 100% sure of the facts.
3. Natural Genius: Expecting success to come easily or not at all.
• Example: Feeling like a fraud when you have to work hard to learn something.
4. Soloist: Believing you must accomplish things alone.
• Example: Avoiding asking for help at work out of fear of being exposed.
5. Superhuman: Pushing yourself to excel in every area to prove your worth.
• Example: Taking on too many responsibilities to avoid feeling like an imposter.

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II.

Anxiety Response Mechanism (From System 1 -> System 2)

1. Fight (bullying, having paranoia) -> Alter (Set Boundaries):
• Reacting aggressively to threats, but healthier to assertively set limits.
• Example: Instead of lashing out at criticism, calmly explain your boundaries.
2. Flight (workaholic, escapism) -> Avoid (Planned avoidance):
• Escaping stress by overworking, but better to intentionally avoid triggers when needed.
• Example: Choosing to skip a toxic event rather than drowning in work to avoid it.
3. Freeze (couch potato, being helpless) -> Accept (accept what you can't control, move on):
• Feeling stuck and inactive, but healthier to accept and move forward.
• Example: Letting go of things you can't change and focusing on what you can do.
4. Fawn (people pleaser, being yes man) -> Adopt (make deals, give and take):
• Pleasing others to avoid conflict, but better to negotiate mutual solutions.
• Example: Agreeing to help a colleague only if they assist you in return.