Anticipatory Anxiety: How to Handle Worries About the Future

Anticipatory anxiety can appear as a symptom of generalised anxiety disorder.

Other conditions can also involve a fear of possible future events:

• Social anxiety disorder involves an extreme fear of rejection.
• A specific phobia can involve extreme fear of ordinary objects or experiences such as clocks, spiders, heights, etc.
• Panic disorder. Anticipatory anxiety is common in panic attacks.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A traumatic experience such as a car crash or a mugging can cause anticipatory anxiety.

Your physical wellness can impact your emotional health.

• Nutrition: If your symptoms include a nervous stomach, you may find it hard to eat, and that can make you feel even worse.
• Sleep: Anxiety can make it difficult to get proper sleep, but a lack of sleep can increase anticipatory anxiety. Cutting back on caffeine and practising relaxation before bed may help you sleep.
• Physical activity: Exercise can help relieve symptoms of anxiety and improve your sleep.

How you talk to yourself about anxiety will affect you.

When you start to worry about something, ask yourself if it is a realistic possibility.

• If the answer is no, try to redirect your thinking to the present.
• If the answer is yes, it is helpful to make a plan to cope, for example, restocking your emergency supplies. Then, set your thoughts aside. You've done what you can.

It's often not easy to talk about what you're afraid of, but voicing those fears can help them seem less scary.

Letting loved ones know about your anxiety can also help, especially if you feel isolated because of your symptoms. Friends can offer support by listening and providing a distraction.

If your own coping strategies are not helping, you could explore professional help. A therapist can help to find sources of stress and help to address possible causes. They can also help you identify harmful or less effective coping methods.

Therapists may recommend cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or exposure therapy.

Medication may help improve symptoms, especially when combined with therapy.

Medication may be recommended if your symptoms:

• make it difficult to cope in your daily life
• prevent you from making progress in therapy
• cause serious distress
• affect your physical health

Potential medications include beta-blockers, benzodiazepines (sedatives), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and other antidepressants.