Anticipatory Anxiety
Anticipatory anxiety refers to the anxiety you experience when you fear something negative is going to happen. It is anxiety about the future, about what could happen, not what is currently happening. Anticipatory anxiety could be related to the thought of something catastrophic happening, like a terminal illness, or thinking about a difficult or uncomfortable situation coming up in the (near) future, like giving a work presentation in front of a large group of people.
This type of anxiety focuses on a bad outcome. It gets stuck on worst-case scenarios you will then have the urge to avoid. Who wouldn’t want to avoid a horrific car accident or sounding like an idiot during a work presentation?
Catastrophic predictions can feel true, but that does not mean they are true. Anticipatory anxiety is like a misfiring alarm system. It is telling you that a threat or danger is DEFINITELY UP AHEAD when, in reality, we don’t know this to be true because it has not happened yet.
Don’t Feed the Fear
When you react to thoughts as if they are true and settle on avoiding what is making you anxious, you are feeding the anxiety and giving it more power. You have lost the opportunity to challenge your thoughts about something bad happening via the direct experience of doing what you fear and seeing what happens, and have reinforced the idea of a bad outcome being inevitable instead. This leads to feeling more and more anxious over time.
Anticipatory anxiety symptoms include:
Excessive worry about the future, particularly something bad/catastrophic happening – “What if…” thoughts
Avoiding situations, activities, people, places, etc. that provoke anxiety
Sense of dread
Focusing on all the “what ifs”
Believing you won’t be able to cope if something bad happens
Constant scary narratives/stories in your mind, like a film reel of worst-case scenarios
Physical tension/physical sensations (e.g., increased heart rate, headaches, GI distress)
This article by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America provides an overview of anticipatory anxiety.
Overcoming Anticipatory Anxiety: Staying Present & Accepting Thoughts as Thoughts
In general, the best treatment for anticipatory anxiety involves changing your response to anxiety including anxious thoughts, physical sensations, and behaviors. One way of doing so, is by practicing refocusing on the present moment and what is happening in front of you when you are stuck on thoughts about the future. Another important aspect of overcoming anticipatory anxiety, is accepting thoughts as thoughts that may or may not be true, and may or may not be helpful, as opposed to automatically responding to it as a truth.
For example, if you are dreading having to take the high way next week, your thoughts may be along the lines of, “I can’t drive on the highway next week. I will get into a horrible accident!” Try taking the power out of these thoughts by practicing saying, “I am having thoughts about not being able to drive because I will have an accident. Just because I think that, doesn’t mean it will happen.”
Other Effective Therapy Interventions
Experiencing anticipatory anxiety can often feel like you’re trapped in a loop. While you might be doing your best to overcome anxious thoughts, it can be harder to shake the physical sensations that come along with them. Cutting out on avoidance behavior is already one big step in the direction of breaking the cycle. Here are other effective therapy interventions CBT Denver can offer you, to help you stay on the right track towards anticipatory joy!
Learning acceptance-based skills that decrease a sense of being in an ongoing tug-of-war with anticipatory anxiety
Practicing mindfulness and relaxation exercises that soothe the nervous system and change how you respond to physical sensations of anxiety
Practicing focusing your energy on engaging in activities that are meaningful and valuable to you
If you’d like to learn more about effective, evidence-based therapy for anticipatory anxiety, please contact us at CBT Denver.
