Mental loops / worry spirals (Clarity)

What people are struggling with

Thoughts that circle repetitively without progress or resolution.

Catastrophic "what if" scenarios that build on each other.

Feeling trapped in your own mind, unable to stop the cycle.

Physical tension and anxiety rising with each mental pass.

Why this keeps repeating

The mind is attempting to solve an unsolvable or uncertain problem.

Worry creates the illusion of preparedness and control.

The loop itself becomes a familiar, if painful, cognitive habit.

My personal experience

Lying awake running through the same argument for the hundredth time.

The tight chest feeling as a simple concern snowballs into disaster.

Missing what someone said because I was rehearsing a worry.

Where this lives in the Cosmic Mirror

Clarity Layer: Cognitive rumination and threat simulation.

What actually helped me

Scheduling a daily 15-minute "worry appointment" to contain the spirals.

Asking: "Is this a real problem I can act on now, or a hypothetical?"

Using a grounding phrase: "I am here, not in that future."

Things to try

Set a timer for 3 minutes and worry intensely. Stop when it rings.

Write the spiral's starting thought, then draw a literal circle around the page until the pen stops.

Name five concrete objects you can touch right now.

Common mistakes or traps

Trying to "reason" your way out of the spiral mid-spiral.

Mistaking rumination for productive problem-solving.

Using distraction that doesn't reset your nervous system (like scrolling).

Related paths to explore

Obsessive problem-solving

Difficulty letting thoughts go

Persistent mental static