My take on the "anxiety cycle"

I have recognized a clear cognitive cycle that perpetuates my anxiety symptom. I have some worrying thought (a thought that I believe to be real), this causes the release of stress hormone, and this causes the anxiety symptom.

Random Thought: Anxiety itself is a symptom of a problem, not the cause.

In order to stop the anxiety problem the cycle must be broken. Oftentimes with anxiety problems the biggest source of worry is over the 'anxiety symptoms'. So medicines are used to treat the symptoms, which reduce worrying, which stop (hopefully not temporarily, but more than likely not permanent) the cycle of anxiety.

But there is a much easier way to stop the anxiety cycle. The answer is to stop worrying. Worrying is caused by improperly labeling thoughts as being MORE than thoughts (if we believe a thought, it has the power to cause a stressful response in the body). The answer is to properly label a thought as a thought, whenever we experience it. Such as, if a thought about a past event, a stressful one, pops into my awareness, and I think of it as being MORE than just a thought, it has an effect on me. If I am able to become aware that the thought entered my awareness, and properly label it as just a thought (which is what it boils down to), then it will not cause the stressful response.

And that's it! To stop anxiety we must stop delusionally believing our thoughts are MORE than thoughts. Get into the habit of becoming aware of your thoughts, and properly labeling your thoughts as 'thoughts', and label your mental state when being aware of your surroundings as 'reality'. Creating this distinction is the true cure for anxiety (the cause is the lack of distinction between reality and thoughts falsely believed to be reality). Remember, thoughts are nothing more than thoughts.