How to detect if you are inside a vicious mental circle
Our mind tends to repeat, to return to the known , to what gives us comfort, to repeat behaviors that even if they hurt us, we put them back into practice. It is important to know and observe ourselves to know what is causing us harm and to produce healthy changes to get away from that area that causes us suffering.
Being in a vicious circle it involves doing the same act over and over again, repeating a scene, a situation, obtaining the same or similar results. This causes the sensation of lack of exit, absence of alternatives, inability to choose something different. To be in a vicious circle is to feel in a dead end.
- Related article: "Thoughts that sabotage us: this is how our mind acts"
Break the vicious circle of the mind
"The same thing always happens to me", "I'm not lucky", "Why try it if I'm not going to be able to?": These beliefs are self-limiting and stop us from building new paths as we develop as people. In general, this is caused by low self-esteem, lack of security and self-confidence when making decisions, or bad past experiences that hinder the present or cause fear of the future .
We register the discomfort and suffering and suspect that they are linked to a certain situation (substance use, exhausting work, toxic relationships) but many times, instead of trying to solve the problem, this discomfort paralyzes us and causes us to enter the complaint, the worry, the confusion, the feeling of emptiness. The vicious circle we are going through is rendered invisible ; We feel the unpleasant effects, but it is hard to stop to observe ourselves and analyze the totality of the situation.
We complain, we suffer, we bother, without realizing that to get out of that harmful repetition we have to make decisions that allow us to break with that circle that generates wear and suffering.
The types of vicious circle
We will raise 3 forms of vicious circle. Knowing their existence will allow you to detect them and get out of their trap.
1. Turning in a laboring job
If our work does not satisfy us, does not motivate us or we suffer abuse in it, We probably have feelings of frustration, helplessness, reluctance , lack of recognition and opportunities to grow in the workplace. This means that it will be difficult for us to start the workday, that we do not want it to arrive on Monday and that we hope with all our enthusiasm when it comes to fleeing from there.
We perceive the discomfort caused by the work we do or the conditions in which the work environment occurs, but if we are in the circle, we will probably go through it with complaints, anger and frustrations, but without doing anything to change that situation.
A big obstacle to decide to break this dynamic is fear . In this case, we may be afraid to start a new job search and not get a job, fear of finding a job with more adverse conditions than the current ones, fear of earning less money and living more tightly.
There are no magical or unique recipes, but one of the tools to be implemented in this situation is to be encouraged to make the decision to look for new job opportunities and set specific goals, with a deadline. For example, take the time to investigate job offers, use word of mouth to tell our friends that we are interested in getting a new job, not act impulsively and without thinking. Making a decision takes time and different steps, the first is to be encouraged.
- Maybe you're interested: "Burnout (Burning Syndrome): how to detect it and take action"
2. Turn inside a complicated break
When you feel that you are embarking on the difficult process of forgetting your ex and you realize that it was a relationship that did not go well ... this nostalgia reappears! Right at that key moment, where you remembered the negative things, you got angry, you said it's over, a message arrives or a timid and suggestive I like on Facebook and your emotional reaction to this indicates that the seed of that mental trap is still there .
You wonder why not give it another chance, after all it was not so bad relationship ... Or yes, but hey, it is easier to return to the known, to repeat old stories that, although we suspect what results could have we put them together, maybe with the hope that this time is different. But most likely, as long as we do the same (and let us do the same) the results will sadly be the same.
Probably what hinders us from breaking this circle is the fear of loneliness and not to be loved again, or feel dependent on the other person, believing that without him / her you can not live well. The confusion between love and need is never good.
A love relationship is a relationship of respect, trust and freedom. Being in love is not synonymous with being enslaved. If you feel that way, decide what's best for you, look for healthy relationships and your mind and body will thank you .
- Related article: "The 5 problems of love breakups, and how to deal with them"
3. Turn into a substance addiction
Substance addictions are a health problem caused by the compulsive consumption of drugs capable of producing dependence, both physical and psychological. The vicious circle is installed when consumption becomes excessive, uncontrolled, compulsive. That is, to consume by consuming, consuming because it is needed, because the body or the head asks for it.
To stop consuming by your own means is very difficult and almost impossible for the addicted person. It requires specialized containment and treatment in order to break this dangerous and even deadly circle.
After compulsive consumption, the effects of abstinence come, with which it becomes necessary to resume consumption. After this it is likely that the addicted person feels guilty, frustrated or angry with herself. But if the circle does not break, after these feelings and thoughts, you can return the consumption again and again, instead of reflecting and deciding to change.
- Related article: "Types of drugs: know their characteristics and effects"
Reorient ourselves towards healthy life
Stay spinning again and again in a circle it does not allow us personal growth or emotional well-being . When detecting our vicious circle, we can get out of the complaint and ask ourselves why it happens to us what happens to us, in order to begin to walk a different path in a very interesting process of change.
