Anticipatory Anxiety
Stress is a normal necessary part of life. You can’t find your car keys, get stuck in traffic, or wait for an important call or text. Will cause some stress but usually manageable and will easily decline. If you are going through ‘something’ (e.g divorce, redundancy, bereavement etc) stress levels will understandably be different. But what if you’re going through your regular daily life, nothing has really changed, yet you feel stressed? Anticipatory anxiety is not about whats going on right now, its about what ‘might’ happen in the future, which leaves you feeling stressed. Recognizing this is the first step to helping yourself break free from that spiral.
What is anticipatory anxiety?
Anticipatory anxiety is the fear of future events going wrong. It’s the pressure you feel when facing tough decisions or upcoming challenges. This fear grows when you focus too much on your worries. It feels like a warning, pushing you to avoid discomfort.
Three levels of fear explains this.
For example:
First, your employer invites you to a work conference, but you worry they might ask you to speak, and you fear public speaking.
Next, you begin to fear how you’d react—what if your hands shake or your voice cracks? This causes you to dread the very thought of going – I might freeze up, or worry about being ridiculed.
Finally the last layer drives you to avoid the situation. You picture disaster—stumbling over your words, embarrassing yourself, or failing. These fears lead you to cancel plans or shy away from opportunities.
Is it just anxiety?
Additionally, it shows up in many ways. You might over-plan to avoid mistakes, or feel paralyzed while waiting for results. At other times, it manifests as a constant physical tension or discomfort, such as headaches or nausea.
In particular, in obsessive-compulsive behavior, this anxiety often fuels rituals or compulsions. As a result, it might stop you from going to social gatherings, traveling, or even tackling daily tasks. Even routine tasks, like going to work, can start to feel overwhelming.
Occasionally, you might not even know the source of your anxiety. It can simply linger as a vague sense of unease in your body. In some instances, this can lead to panic attacks or chronic stress symptoms.
Generalized anxiety disorder
Anticipatory anxiety is a major part of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
It’s the never-ending “what if” loop that wears you down.
Stress, an overactive imagination, past experiences and trauma, bodily sensations, or the belief that you can’t handle new challenges fuel this anxiety. The fear of being overwhelmed or losing control only strengthens it.
What helps?
Effective treatment targets what keeps this anxiety going. Overthinking won’t help.
Instead, therapy focuses on staying present and accepting the anxiety without resisting it. Your brain and nervous system cannot tell the difference between what is real and what is imagined. They respond the same way. By encouraging a shift of attention from imagined fears to what’s happening now, you can work on regulating your emotions, understanding what you can control and increase your self care.
Courage in action
Breaking the cycle of avoidance and worry is essential. It becomes a ‘chicken & egg’ situation where you may feel I can’t do this because I’m so worried, but you will remain worried until you do.
This is being brave and feeling the fear and doing it anyway.
Therapy helps you let go of constant reassurance-seeking and teaches you to face the anxiety head-on, trusting that you’ll be okay, and can contain all your feelings, even in moments of fear.
You can do this!
Remember ‘ If you think you can or you can’t – you are right’
Further reading on anxiety, fear and panic NHS anxiety
About the author: Chris Boobier is the owner of CRB Counselling and an accredited counsellor.
Get in touch here if you’d like to explore how counselling could help you.