The snowball effect is defined in its very name. Let's imagine a small snowball falling down a hill. What will tend to happen after a few seconds while the ball is still touching snow? Well, it will continue to grow, and grow, and grow. At first it can be small and harmless, the typical snowball that one child can throw at another without major consequences. But that little snowball can turn into an avalanche that wipes out everything.
That avalanche that can kill us, at least intermittently, is what psychologists call an 'anxiety attack'. It is usually represented in the form of chest pain, general cold and tremors, a sudden urge to go to the bathroom, tachycardia and sweating... it is a very unpleasant sensation in which the person believes that they are losing control of their life and even fears for it.
As expected, thoughts feed the snowball. People who suffer from anxiety, faced with an uncertain future, usually choose the worst option. Headache? Tumor; Phone call? Bad news. These intrusive thoughts and this distortion of reality (almost never something that we fear will happen will happen) become progressively worse over time if a mental health specialist is not consulted to analyze the personal situation and find the appropriate therapy. .
The essential thing in the face of the snowball effect is to recognize that you are suffering from a disabling anxiety problem. If it is not supported, it is difficult (not impossible) to come up with a practical solution. In the recognition of the problem is part of its solution, reflect on it and assume it as your own.
If the snowball effect has caused us an anxiety attack and we fear that it will happen again, it is better to be prepared for it:
We should not take lightly certain types of intrusive thoughts that, by systematic repetition, can drastically reduce a person's quality of life. If you feel them more than desired, do not hesitate to go to a mental health specialist.
