Anticipatory anxiety is a phenomenon that is at the root of many forms of psychological distress. It is not only part of the growth mechanisms of anxiety disorders (i.e. mental disorders that are so severe that they require professional treatment).

Below we’ll look at several tips to decrease anticipatory anxiety and to prevent it from becoming a self-reinforcing problem.

What is anticipatory anxiety?

Let’s start with the basics: defining the term “anticipatory anxiety. This is a significant rise in our anxiety levels, due to our fear of suffering in the future from situations that pose a danger , even if in the here and now there is nothing that is a threat.

People who experience this are perfectly capable of seeing that there is nothing in the present situation capable of posing a danger, and even that nothing they can do in the next few seconds will greatly improve their options for what they fear will happen later, but they still enter a state of high activation and alertness, as if the consequences of making a wrong move could inflict great discomfort.

On the other hand, anticipatory anxiety is related to anxiety sensitivity . This factor, which as far as we know probably depends largely on genetics but also on the patterns of interaction with the environment that we have learned and internalized, consists of our tendency to interpret uncomfortable stimuli and forms of discomfort in general as something that poses a danger, which will precipitate an abrupt rise in our anxiety levels.

Thus, those who have a high sensitivity to anxiety are in a vulnerable situation, because there are many more events capable of making them suffer from anxiety-related alterations. Being aware of this personal trait increases the expectation of suffering unexpected peaks of stress and distress, feeding anticipatory anxiety. This creates a situation of self-fulfilling prophecy.

Combating Anxiety

Follow these key ideas to better manage anticipatory anxiety in your day-to-day life.

1. Sleep and eat well

It seems not, but maintaining good physical health takes us significantly away from vulnerability to anxiety . The quality of sleep is especially important, since it has been seen that relatively small decreases in the amount of hours of sleep greatly increase the probabilities of developing alterations associated with mood and anxiety.

Put on sleep schedules for each day of the week and respect them, and try to maintain a balanced diet that provides you with all the nutrients you need, no more and no less.

2. Do not try to fight anticipation

When it comes to fighting anticipatory anxiety, something paradoxical happens; trying to actively counteract this psychological tendency only gives it more strength, makes it more likely that this combination of stress and anguish will make us suffer again .

As the name implies, anticipatory anxiety is related to the inferences we make about what will happen, which means that trying to combat it by using arguments to convince oneself that nothing will happen is usually not a good idea, at least if it’s the only measure we take to prevent the distress from affecting us. Thinking about it too much will only fuel anxiety, and all our efforts to reason will be built on the faulty ground of intense psychological distress .

3. Respect the breaks

Even if we are preparing for something very important, such as a final exam, we should give rest periods the importance they deserve ; not doing so will make us perform worse, as well as generate more discomfort. If we do not abuse a passive attitude, resting is not a waste of time, it is investing it in being in better condition.

Therefore, it is recommended that you create rest periods for your daily life. When the anticipatory anxiety arrives, force yourself to spend the next few minutes to calm down and feel good again, and nothing else. To do this, get away from what you were doing and rest somewhere comfortable where you enjoy a certain privacy and calm.

4. Practice controlled breathing exercises

Many times, anxiety is maintained mainly due to the difficulties to oxygenate oneself well produced by one’s own muscle tension. That is why controlling one’s breathing in order to be able to take several slow, deep breaths contributes to getting out of this vicious circle of anticipatory anxiety.

5. Go to the psychologist

Finally, you may need to attend some psychological intervention sessions for a professional to supervise your case in a personalized way . It has been proven that there are several therapeutic strategies capable of helping those who suffer from anxiety on a regular basis to manage it, and that the beneficial effects of these interventions last.

If you are interested in professional support in this area or in any other area related to the regulation of emotions and stress, you can see my contact details by clicking on this link.

Bibliographic references:

  • Gu, R., Huang, Y.X., Luo, Y.J. (2010). Anxiety and feedback negativity. Psychophysiology. 47 (5): 961 – 967.
  • Hovenkamp-Hermelink, J.H.M., et al. Anxiety sensitivity, its stability and longitudinal association with severity of anxiety symptoms. Scientific Reports, 9, 4314.
  • Taylor, S., et al. Robust dimensions of anxiety sensitivity: Development and initial validation of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3. Psychological Assessment, 19, pp. 176 – 188.