What Is Anticipatory Anxiety and How Does it Affect You?

It’s normal to think about the future. It gives us something to look forward to, something to dream about, and yes, sometimes something to worry about.

Feeling concerned about an upcoming event or situation, or even focusing on the “what ifs” of what the future might hold isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But, when those negative thoughts and worries start to take over, it can lead to anticipatory anxiety.

Anticipatory anxiety is excessive worry about a future event. It often causes you to consider the worst possible outcome, even if it’s highly unrealistic. You might start to dread the event or situation long before it happens, or it might become all you can focus on.

As you might expect, dealing with anticipatory anxiety can have a negative effect on your quality of life, never allowing you to enjoy the here and now. Let’s take a closer look at anticipatory anxiety, how it affects you, and what you can do to overcome it.

What Does Anticipatory Anxiety Look Like?

Again, it’s not uncommon for people to think about future events and situations. But, if you’re only dwelling on the negative possibilities of those situations, you’re likely to get anxious.

Anxiety is fueled by “what if” questions. If you find yourself constantly wondering what might happen in the future and answering those questions with extremely negative outcomes, it’s going to lead to anxiety that will often spiral out of control.

People with anticipatory anxiety often deal with negative thought patterns. When you’re constantly thinking of the worst possible scenario, it’s hard to break free from negativity.

This kind of anxiety takes a toll on your mental well-being. But, it can also affect your physical health. Anticipatory anxiety can lead to muscle tension, headaches, stomach issues, and difficulty sleeping.

How it Impacts Your Life

This kind of anxiety can make it difficult to enjoy your life on a daily basis. If you know that certain situations trigger anxious behavior, you might start to avoid them. That can impact your social life and relationships, and even your career and the stability of your future.

Over time, the constant worry caused by anticipatory anxiety can affect your overall quality of life, potentially interfering with daily functioning and decision-making. The fear and worry can become so extreme that you start to avoid almost every situation out of your control. Unfortunately, anxiety is cyclical. The more you give in to the fear, the worse it is likely to become.

What Can You Do?

If there’s a silver lining to anticipatory anxiety, it’s that it’s often manageable — and treatable. But, it’s not something you have to do on your own.

Self-care practices like mindfulness, meditation, and even journaling can help you manage negative thoughts and focus on the present. Staying grounded will make it harder for your anxious thoughts about the future to take over. Stress management techniques can calm both physical and mental symptoms, so you can start to focus on the reality of a situation, rather than the negative “what ifs” trying to take hold.

Perhaps the best thing you can do, though, is to work with a mental health professional. Therapy will help you understand where your anticipatory anxiety stems from, and getting to the root cause of any kind of anxiety is often the best way to overcome it. Starting that journey with someone by your side to guide you will make a big difference.

Anxiety Therapy will also help you learn how to manage your symptoms while silencing negative thoughts and fears. It’s a process, but one that will help you feel empowered over time.

If you’re ready to stop fearing the future and want to take control of your life again, consider reaching out for help today.