Everyone feels anxious at some point in their lives. It is a feeling associated with fear, dread and uneasiness and may lead to symptoms, such as sweating, restlessness, rapid heartbeat and more. Usually, it occurs when you face a difficult situation at work, before taking a test or while making an important decision in your life - it’s all just your body's way to respond to stress. But some people may feel stressed long before the event is to occur. This is called anticipatory anxiety, which according to Dr B Sarathi Goud, Senior Psychiatrist, MBBS, MD-Psychiatry, Kamineni hospital, Hyderabad, can be a symptom of a larger anxiety disorder. In an interaction with the OnlyMyHealth, Dr Goud, expands on the condition.
What Is Anticipatory Anxiety?
When it comes to anxiety, an estimated 4.05% of the global population (30.1 crore people) has an anxiety disorder, says a research published in the Journal Middle East Current Psychiatry, adding that the number of cases has increased by 55% from 1990 to 2019.
Anticipatory anxiety is a type of anxiety and may be a symptom of anxiety disorders, which can lead to avoidance behaviours. Dr Goud says, “It generally causes feelings of worry about a situation in the future, which can leave one feeling trapped and worried to the point of exhaustion.”
Why It Occurs
According to Dr Goud, anticipatory anxiety originates from chronic negative thinking which increases stress. During such an incident, a person’s fight or flight response is triggered by worrying about possible bad outcomes that could occur in the future. Some of the common triggers include:
- Presentation or speech
- Job interviews
- A medical procedure or surgery
- Exam or evaluation
- A difficult conversation or social event
- Travelling
- Doing something new
- Being without something used for comfort
- Having to give someone bad news
How To Know If You Have Anticipatory Anxiety
Dr Goud says, “Anticipatory anxiety is not a diagnosable condition but can be a symptom of underlying anxiety disorder or other mental illness.” However, he clarifies saying that not all people who experience anticipatory anxiety have an anxiety disorder, but they can experience many of the same symptoms, including:
- Having “what-if” thoughts
- Inability to focus
- Overestimating threats
- Dissociating
- Hyper-awareness of surroundings
- A sense of dread
- Irritability or frustration
- Physical symptoms like:
- Increased heart rate
- Dizziness, nausea
- Tense muscles
Coping Strategies
Preventing anticipatory anxiety isn’t entirely possible. However, you can always find ways to cope with it. Strategies involve:
- Do not panic and wait until you have more information. This will help ensure that your thinking process leads to constructive planning rather than unproductive worrying.
- Resist the urge to worry and predict the future with limited information.
- Work on following your normal routine as much as possible.
- Nurture “even if” thoughts as they help you focus on your response to a possible bad outcome, which is within your control.
- Do not give into the urge to change or cancel plans, instead, work on reacting in calm and reasonable ways.
- Be physically active, which can help reduce stress and anxiety.
- Rather than focusing on stopping your anxiety, think about where and how your time and energy would be better spent.
- Practise mindfulness skills and meditation
- Indulge in yoga
In addition, Dr Goud suggests speaking with a therapist. “They are equipped to help you understand and normalise the wide range of emotions you feel and can help you learn strategies of coping with these emotions,” he shares.