Anticipatory anxiety is a mentally we do process, in which we imagine the worst that can happen in a certain situation that causes stress or anxiety, for example, before doing a job interview, you can imagine being asked embarrassing questions that you will not be able to answer, that will also be empty and eventually you will be eliminated as a candidate for the position.
One of the immediate consequences of this kind of anguish is that we stop focusing on the present, projecting towards the future dark clouds that we cannot dissipate, precisely because we cannot act in the future. Anticipation is linked to future catastrophic thoughts. It’s like we’re in constant near danger, needing to protect us from potential threats.
“Anxiety doesn’t eliminate tomorrow’s pain, but it eliminates the strength of today. – Corrie ten Boom-
Even when we don’t want to, negative thoughts sometimes dominate our minds and distress us. When what we think makes us sick, we talk about distorted thoughts or cognitive distortions. This kind of thinking leads us to see the world through distorted vision. of reality, as if we had sunglasses that obscure our radiant days.
Imagine you’re in front of an audience and need to give a lecture. In the case of anticipation anxiety, catastrophic thoughts like “I won’t make it,” “they’ll target me,” “people will make fun of me. “will appear, making it difficult to think clearly about these situations that we consider threatening. If this type of thinking is repeated frequently, it can eventually become a reality thanks to what psychologists call self-fulfilling prophecy.
Self-fulfilling prophecy generates a negative expectation that shapes our behavior until what we had imagined came true, if we think we are going to get stuck in a presentation, the circumstances that allow this situation may arise and our negative prophecy may arise. eventually be confirmed.
“If you think you can or if you think you can’t, you’re right anyway. – Henry Ford-
Anxiety helps us mobilize our bodies in the face of a potential real threat or danger, so it is not bad in itself, on the contrary, because it gives us information about imminent dangers, on the other hand, the anxiety of anticipation tries to predict the consequences of a future event, tries to prevent a danger that has not yet occurred, something that can help us and protect us on certain occasions , but in others, it will make our way difficult.
For example, if you think you’re in a car accident, the first thing you do when you get in a car is likely to put your seat belt on, this type of intervention can protect you in the event of an accident. . However, not all responses to early anxiety help. Continuing the example situation, if for fear of having an accident, you stay home or don’t get in the car, the anxiety will only increase and it won’t resolve.
Some symptoms that can develop in the body when we have an anxiety of anticipation are: dizziness, tachycardia, sweating, chest pain and shaky voice, among others, in addition, the person may feel that emotions overflow or the feeling of losing control These symptoms are caused by a lack of tolerance to what we cannot control, that is, , we often have difficulty coping with uncertainty and the feeling that we cannot control everything that happens around us.
“The intensity of the anguish is proportional to the sense that the situation represents for the affected person. -Karen Horney-
To overcome anticipatory anxiety, psychological intervention will often be necessary, complemented in some situations with drug treatment, some secrets may be: delay reflection, focus on breathing, practice mindfulness, exercise and practice panic-causing situations, let’s look at them one by one. .
Imagine being able to talk about your negative thoughts and say that you no longer want to be disturbed, say that you are quite disturbed, that after listening to it and that at that moment you prefer to concentrate on other more important things. If we postpone our negative thoughts, it is easier for our emotions to be not affected and we may feel safer.
This habit of deferring reflection on a particular idea works best when you set a day and an hour to reflect, that is, it is not about deferring indefinitely.
If you gradually expose yourself to what scares you, your anxiety will gradually decrease. The solution is not to avoid fear, but to face small challenges that can lead you to overcome your deepest fears. For example, if you’re afraid to fly, a first step might be to pick someone up at the airport and watch planes take off and land.
Anxiety is due to the fact that there is an excess of the future in your life, so if you try to live in the present you will be calmer, practices like mindfulness or meditation can help you overcome your anticipatory anxiety. Focus your attention on your breathing in the previous minutes of a presentation, your negative thoughts may disappear or at least give way.
Exercise can help you forget anxiety once and for all, so not only will you take care of the physical dimension, your body, but you will also contribute to your mental health, to turn the practice of exercise into a custom, it is important to gradually introduce it into your daily life, if you exceed all you will get is a good amount of muscle distension , injuries and even not wanting to look at your gym for a long time.
Exercise releases endorphins and also helps us sleep better, to be more relaxed.
If we use the energy of anticipation anxiety as an impulse to get better and learn from us, we will see the positive part. We can learn to deal with it and be skeptical of what it predicts. So it’ll be helpful to learn how to do it, finish the drama and see that in the end, the worst thing that can happen is just a probability. The rest of life happens here and now, right in front of our noses, and we have the opportunity to seize the opportunity to grow as a person.