Anticipatory Anxiety: 8 Signs That You Are Afraid of the Future

Do you have catastrophic thoughts? Do you feel afraid of the future? You may have anticipatory anxiety, a very common symptom of anxiety disorders. Find out how to overcome it.

Have you ever been unable to sleep thinking about something that would happen in the morning? No one knows what the future holds, but people who suffer from anticipatory anxiety They often have a recurring feeling of fear when faced with this thought. Although thinking about what will happen to us tomorrow is completely normal, when this ends up affecting our life it can be a sign that we suffer from a pathological fear of the future. But what are these negative thoughts of anticipatory anxiety due to?

What is anticipatory anxiety?

When within psychology we talk about anticipatory anxiety We refer to the feeling of anxiety and fear that a person feels when thinking about a situation in the future. Despite this, this is not a specific disorder, but rather a symptom found in other conditions related to anxiety, such as generalized anxiety disorder.

In many cases having these catastrophic thoughts around the future can be extremely exhausting for people who suffer from it, since this anxiety and its thoughts can occur even months before said event happens. For this reason, it is important that these symptoms of the disorder are identified in order to eliminate fear of the future and the anguish and anxiety that these thoughts entail.

Anticipatory anxiety symptoms

Normally, when people suffer anticipatory anxiety They usually experience fear or fear of the future as well as other symptoms such as anxiety. According to psychologists, we can identify the following signs related to these catastrophic thoughts:

1. Difficult to focus
2. Problems managing emotions and mood
3. emotional numbness
4. Loss of interest in activities you previously enjoyed
5. Nervousness or restlessness
6. Muscle tension and pain
7. Nausea and loss of appetite
8. Sleeping problems

In addition to suffering from these symptoms, people who have this anxiety and your negative thoughts They usually spend a lot of time imagining the worst scenarios that could happen to them in their daily lives. So much so that they end up focusing on the unwanted results, something that fuels their frustration and hopelessness. If you identify with most of these signs, you probably suffer from anticipatory anxiety, one of the symptoms of anxiety.

Am I afraid of the future?

If you want to know approximately if you really suffer from anticipatory anxiety, we suggest that you analyze your behavior based on the following questions:

• Do you experience feelings of tension and anxiety before an event?
• Do you make negative predictions about what may happen in a specific situation?
• Do you avoid certain situations because of the anxiety they cause you?

If you answer yes to these questions, you may be suffering from anticipatory anxiety.

Types of anticipatory anxiety

At some point or another, we have all experienced some situation of anticipatory anxiety. Above all, this fear of the future usually arises when we leave our comfort zone when doing interviews, when having the first date or when we face a school exam. But when this is a consequence of anxiety disorder, the catastrophic thoughts they arise constantly. This may be due to the following anxiety conditions.

• Panic attacks: People who have anxiety may suffer anticipatory panic attacks, since they are afraid of the anxiety caused by certain situations that usually lead to an anxiety attack. On certain occasions this can lead people to avoid leaving their comfort zone, and end up avoiding many situations on a daily basis.
• Social anxiety or phobia: When a person suffers from social anxiety or social phobia, they may feel very anxious when thinking about having to attend a meeting with other people. Therefore, the Anticipatory anxiety and the causes of fear of the future They may be due to it.

Causes of anticipatory anxiety

The anticipatory anxiety This is a normal process in a stressful situation. It only becomes a problem when it involves mental self-sabotage due to extreme fear and worries that affect a person’s well-being and functioning. In many cases, this anticipatory anxiety is usually a symptom of other anxiety disorders such as the following:

1. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): This disorder causes a very persistent feeling of anxiety that affects various activities and events.
2. Social anxiety disorder: This disorder is mainly characterized by suffering from anxiety in certain social situations, which can sometimes mean avoiding them or doing without these interactions.
3. Specific phobias: People with phobias may experience great anxiety and fear when they are in the presence of a specific object, place or situation.
4. Panic disorder: This disorder causes repeated panic attacks and intense anxiety that can peak within a few minutes.

Normally, the anticipatory anxiety It is usually linked to one of these types of anxiety disorders. If you identify with any of them and this is affecting you, it is important that you go to a psychologist who specializes in treating anxiety.

Is anxiety dangerous?

It is common to experience some anxiety when faced with different events and specific situations. But, when these feelings are excessive, it may suggest that this anticipatory anxiety It is a symptom of a disorder. Overwhelm about the future, as well as negative thoughts and worries, can affect you emotionally and physically. In fact, living with an anxiety disorder can lead to many medical and psychological problems.

Why do we resort to this mental self-sabotage?

The anticipatory anxiety It happens due to suffering from fear and dread before certain events. These types of feelings are a normal response of our brain and body when perceiving possible future threats. That is, it arises due to the anticipation of protecting our body and mind in the face of imminent danger. Although it is a key system for our survival, it ends up being a problem when these types of thoughts limit our daily lives.

How to eliminate negative thoughts of anticipatory anxiety?

There are a series of strategies that you can follow to try to cope. anxiety and fear related to this disorder. According to specialists, you can follow the following instructions.

1. Reason with yourself: In addition to going to therapy with a mental health professional, a good way to combat fear of the future is precisely to try to give a rational touch to the negative thoughts of anxiety You can imagine that you are talking to a friend and tell yourself the things that you would say to this person.
2. Practice relaxation techniques: Relaxation techniques allow us to calm the negative thoughts of anxiety In many cases, these allow us to focus on the present and reduce the level of anticipatory anxiety.
3. Face your fears: In order to calm the symptoms of fear related to anticipatory anxiety It may be useful for you to remember situations where you have done the same thing successfully. For example, you can try to think that your presentation tomorrow will turn out just as well as one you gave in the past because you have prepared it thoroughly.
4. Change perspective: In order to overcome anxiety and your thoughts It is interesting to try to see it from another perspective. The point is to relativize what happens to you and try to face it from a much broader vision of reality.
5. Distract yourself: The best thing you can do to cope anticipatory anxiety and fear of the future What can arise from it is to try to do an activity that keeps your mind busy. This way you will avoid all the catastrophic thoughts that may arise from this.

If you feel that the anticipatory anxiety is limiting your daily life, you may require the personalized attention of a psychologist. Being afraid of the future is only limiting your chances of living a full life.