In situations of danger or stress, we need to trust that our body will respond to the challenge. Imagine, for example, the situation of running away from a wild animal: if you are being chased by a tiger, you better have all the cooperation of your body to have the senses, muscles and reflexes more active and effective than ever.

We can say the same thing when suddenly avoiding a car or avoiding any unexpected danger of modern life. Fortunately, our organism has tools to ‘set off the alarm’, and in fact, another virtue is the capacity of our mind to anticipate events, especially if they involve danger . It is a skill that allows us to plan, organize and, in short, be prepared for what (perhaps) will come. This applies to both immediate physiological reactions and long-term planning.

These two capacities are essential for survival, even in our apparently calm and orderly society. However, there is a type of psychological alteration in which these tools become a problem: the so-called anticipatory or anticipation anxiety .

What is anticipatory anxiety?

Have you ever felt a great panic before speaking in public? Then what you have experienced is an example of anticipatory anxiety, with a picture of great nervousness and panic. We are talking about the feeling you get minutes before you have to speak in public, when you think the worst might happen. This type of anxiety is shown by suffering pathological panic attacks at the prospect of future events .

These events, which have not occurred and from which there are no reasonable grounds to infer that they will, are of a catastrophic and very negative nature.

How does this stress disorder appear?

Life is uncertain, but there are certain statistical ranges that minimize the chances of the most terrible events occurring. Being afraid to leave your home because you might be struck by lightning is something that ignores any chance of that actually happening. Normally, life doesn’t go by in jumps where you go from bad to much worse.

Anticipation anxiety disorder is related to the difficulty of assuming that idea. Those affected suffer from a certain intolerance to uncertainty and the need to have everything around them under control. This is why it often occurs in people with a high degree of demand on their own performance.

Extreme unfounded fear can occur without prior motivation, but it is very common for these people to show anticipatory anxiety attacks as a consequence of a previous trauma . If you have suffered a specific anxiety attack, you may fear any situation in which you believe you will be exposed to conditions like those of that occasion.

You can also occur if you have a phobia . For example, if you have a phobia of snakes you might feel anxious about visiting a zoo. You imagine that you will see snakes, you experience a picture of anxiety and your body reacts with the symptoms of terror. Your catastrophic outlook will not change even if there is no certainty of seeing a snake.

Symptoms of anticipatory anxiety

Extreme stress has consequences on the organism . Pushing the body to the limit, with the corresponding hormonal flow, is necessary in situations of real danger. However, continuous exposure to these physiological conditions ends up being harmful to our organism and our psyche.

With the anticipation, appears the fear before a nonexistent threat that is seen with the worst expectations. Catastrophic thoughts appear (“I won’t be able to do it right”, “there’s no solution”, “I’ll make a fool of myself”, “everything will go wrong”, “the worst will happen”, etc.) that start a torrent of panic signals. Your body reacts with physical symptoms like the following:

  • Tachycardia and palpitations.
  • Dizziness, nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea…
  • Tremors and instability.
  • Sweating.
  • Muscle tension.
  • Stuttering and inability to concentrate.
  • Headache.

These and other physical symptoms may be severe enough to be disabling, and may even be confused with the symptoms of a heart attack. Later, once the anxiety attack is over, you may develop a fear of fear. That is, you may feel anticipatory anxiety at the prospect of a repeat anxiety attack. It’s a snowball.

Treatment

Anticipatory anxiety can be really traumatic and requires professional treatment.

From psychology, cognitive-behavioral therapy and relaxation techniques guided by psychologists have proven effective in bringing patients from that terrible future to a controlled present . Having an online psychologist provides facilities that bring therapy closer to home: you can enjoy online therapy with peace of mind in a comfortable and safe environment.

The goal is for that safe environment to grow, so that you can increase your self-confidence until you can deal with the situations that cause you anticipatory anxiety. It’s time travel, but with the mind: let’s return from that future to stay in the present.

Bibliographic references:

  • Kendler, Kenneth S. (2004). “Major Depression and Generalised Anxiety Disorder. FOCUS.
  • Rynn MA, Brawman-Mintzer O. (2004). “Generalized anxiety disorder: acute and chronic treatment”. CNS Spectrums. 9 (10): 716-23.
  • Seligman ME, Walker EF, Rosenhan DL Abnormal psychology (2002). New York: W.W. Norton & Company.