Anticipatory Anxiety Disorder

Mental Health Hope is a trusted resource for individuals who struggle with a type of anxiety called anticipatory anxiety, sometimes referred to as “the fear of fear.” Anticipatory anxiety accompanies other diagnosed anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobias, or social anxiety disorder.

Anticipatory anxiety features symptoms of deep angst and dread regarding an upcoming event or situation that is anticipated to cause intense fear. Mental Health Hope can provide guidance for individuals whose anticipatory anxiety is causing avoidance behaviors and other distressing symptoms of anxiety.

About Anticipatory Anxiety

Anticipatory anxiety is the preoccupation and trepidation of the possible adverse outcomes of a future situation or event, which itself may spark an intense fear response. These future events might be a job interview, a public speaking assignment, a severe weather event, or the death of a loved one. It features catastrophic thinking about the worst possible scenarios, and the distress the person must then endure.

It is perfectly natural to be concerned or stressed about a future event or circumstance, especially one that is outside someone’s control. However, anticipatory anxiety can cause so much emotional distress that it may result in avoidance behaviors, chronic stress, and even impairment. When this type of anxiety affects daily functioning or quality of life, it is time to seek professional support and treatment.

Types of Anticipatory Anxiety

Anticipatory anxiety usually accompanies other anxiety disorders. Here are some examples of the ways anticipatory anxiety may occur alongside anxiety disorders:

Generalized anxiety disorder. GAD features irrational worry and dread in daily living. Anticipatory anxiety takes the fear and amplifies it by considering all the potential negative impacts of future situations.
Social anxiety disorder. Social anxiety features excessive fear and worry about being judged or ridiculed in a public or social setting. Anticipatory anxiety focuses on the negative emotions associated with being embarrassed or humiliated.
Panic disorder. Panic disorder features sudden panic attacks that produce intense symptoms very similar to a heart attack. Anticipatory anxiety causes additional worry about where or when the next panic attack may happen, or what might happen during the attack.
Specific phobia. Phobias are the intense fear of a thing or situation, such as fear of spiders or heights. Anticipatory anxiety causes the person to be hyper-focused on the danger caused by this thing, or how it might harm them.

Symptoms of Anticipatory Anxiety

Because anticipatory anxiety is an offshoot of another diagnosable anxiety disorder, the symptoms will be related to that specific disorder. There are, however, common symptoms of anticipatory anxiety, which include:

Sudden wave of nervousness or extreme sense of doom
Avoidance behaviors
Being in constant fear of a future event or circumstance
Catastrophic thinking, dwelling on the worst case scenario
Apprehension
Rumination
Performance anxiety
Unfounded irrational thoughts
Irritability
Easily distracted
Trouble concentrating
Sleep disturbances
Abdominal distress
Racing heart
Jaw clenching

Coping with Anticipatory Anxiety

Individuals experiencing anticipatory anxiety may benefit from the following tips to help manage their symptoms:

Wellness strategies. Attending to basic wellness needs is essential for managing symptoms of anxiety. These include getting at least seven hours of sleep nightly, getting regular exercise – daily if possible, and limiting caffeinated drinks and sugar intake.
Relaxation techniques. A variety of relaxation methods can provide stress reduction effects while inducing relaxation. These include:

Mindfulness meditation
Focused breathwork
Guided meditation tracks
Grounding techniques
Massage therapy
Yoga
Progressive muscle relaxation
Daily journaling. Reflecting on and recording thoughts and emotions in daily journal entries can relieve stress caused by anticipatory fears. It also helps provide important clues about triggers or stressors that induce the fears-based thought patterns.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anticipatory Anxiety

Feeling nervous about an upcoming stress-inducing event or situation is perfectly natural. It is also normal to worry about the outcome of such an event. However, when a fear-response cycle becomes habitual and results in chronic distress or avoidance behaviors, it is time to seek the help of a professional.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is highly effective psychotherapy for individuals with any type of anxiety disorder, including anticipatory anxiety disorder. CBT guides the person to identify irrational fears or thoughts and to establish new thought patterns to replace them. Practicing CBT allows the person to eventually break the cycle that had kept them dwelling on fear-inducing situations and then fearing the fear.

Treatment for Anticipatory Anxiety Disorder

Mental Health Hope is a free source of support for individuals seeking information and guidance about mental health issues, including anticipatory anxiety. When outpatient therapy has not resulted in relief of symptoms, a higher level of care may be beneficial.

LifeSync Malibu is a residential anxiety retreat that provides a more immersive and intensive approach to overcoming the anticipatory anxiety disorder. The retreats allow you to focus on healing while taking some time off from daily life and its stressors. While there, you’ll be able to take a deeper look into issues that might be fueling the anticipatory anxiety, and explore solutions.

The luxury mental health treatment center features a full menu of supportive therapies and activities to help achieve the desired results. Here is what to expect in residential treatment:

Psychotherapy. There are some evidence-based therapies that are highly effective in helping patients reduce their response to stressors. These include:

CBT
DBT
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy
Exposure therapy
Acceptance and commitment therapy
Eye movement reprocessing desensitization
Psychodrama

Medication. After a thorough psychological evaluation and assessment, the doctor determines if you might benefit from medication. The types of medications that help relieve symptoms of anxiety include benzodiazepines, beta blockers, and antidepressants.

Holistic. Holistic activities provide techniques that can significantly reduce stress and enhance relaxation. LifeSync Malibu anxiety retreats offer daily exercise at the gym, yoga classes, hiking and beach walks, spirituality and meditation.

Mental Health Hope provides professional guidance for individuals seeking help for anticipatory anxiety disorder. To learn more about our residential mental health treatment center, please reach out to us today.