What to do to combat anticipatory anxiety?

Anticipatory anxiety is a phenomenon that is at the base of many forms of psychological discomfort. It is not only part of the growth mechanisms of anxiety disorders (that is, mental disorders that are so serious that they require professional treatment).

Next We will see several tips to reduce anticipatory anxiety and that it does not become a self-reinforcing problem.

• Related article: "What is anxiety: how to recognize it and what to do"

What is anticipatory anxiety?

Let's start with the most basic: defining the term "anticipatory anxiety." This is a significant rise in our anxiety levels, due to our fear of suffering in the future situations that pose a danger, even if in the here and now there is nothing that is a threat.

People who experience this are perfectly capable of seeing that there is nothing in the present situation capable of posing a danger, and even that nothing you can do in the next few seconds will greatly improve your chances of what you fear and what will happen later, but at Despite this, they enter a state of high activation and alertness, as if the consequences of making a wrong move could inflict a great deal on them. discomfort.

On the other hand, anticipatory anxiety is related to sensitivity to anxiety. This factor, which from what is known probably depends largely on genetics but also on the patterns of interaction with the environment that we have learned and internalized, consists of in our tendency to interpret uncomfortable stimuli and forms of discomfort in general as something that poses a danger, which will precipitate an abrupt rise in our levels of anxiety.

Thus, those who are highly sensitive to anxiety are in a vulnerable situation, because there are many more events capable of causing them to suffer anxiety disorders. Being aware of this personal trait increases the expectation of suffering unexpected peaks of stress and anguish, fueling anticipatory anxiety. Thus, a situation of self-fulfilling prophecy is created.

• Related article: "Types of Anxiety Disorders and their characteristics"

How to combat anticipatory anxiety

Follow these key ideas to better manage anticipatory anxiety in your day to day.

1. sleep and eat well

It seems not, but Maintaining a good state of physical health significantly distances us from vulnerability to anxiety. Sleep quality is especially important, as relatively small decreases in amount of sleep hours greatly increases the chances of developing disorders associated with mood and distress.

Set sleep schedules for each day of the week and respect them, and try to maintain a balanced diet that provides you with all the nutrients you need, no more, no less.

2. Don't try to fight the anticipation

When it comes to combating anticipatory anxiety, something paradoxical occurs; actively trying to counteract this psychological tendency only gives it more strength, it makes it more likely that that combination of stress and anguish will make us suffer again.

As its name suggests, anticipatory anxiety is related to the inferences we make about what will happen, which means that trying to combat it by using of arguments to convince oneself that nothing will happen is not usually a good idea, at least if it is the only measure we adopt to avoid anxiety affect. Thinking about this too much will only fuel anxiety, and all our efforts to reason will be built on the faulty ground of intense psychological discomfort.

3. Respect breaks

Even if we are preparing for something very important, like a final exam, rest periods must be given the importance they deserve; not doing so will make us perform worse, in addition to generating more discomfort. If we do not abuse a passive attitude, resting is not wasting time, it is investing it in being in better conditions.

Therefore, it is recommended that you create rest periods for your day to day. When anticipatory anxiety hits, force yourself to spend the next few minutes calming down and getting back to feeling good, and nothing else. To do this, get away from what you were doing and rest in a comfortable place where you enjoy some privacy and calm.

4. Practice controlled breathing exercises

Many times, anxiety is maintained mainly due to difficulties in oxygenating well produced by muscular tension itself. That is why controlling your breathing to be able to breathe slowly and deeply several times helps to get out of that vicious circle of anticipatory anxiety.

• You may be interested in: "8 breathing exercises to relax in a moment"

5. Go to the psychologist

Finally, you may need to go to some psychological intervention sessions for a professional to supervise your case in a personalized way. It has been proven that there are several therapeutic strategies capable of helping to manage anxiety at who suffer from it on a regular basis, and that the beneficial effects of these interventions they endure.

If you are interested in having professional support in this aspect or in any other that has to do with the regulation of emotions and stress, you can see my contact information by clicking on this link.

Bibliographic references:

• Gu, R., Huang, Y.X., Luo, Y.J. (2010). Anxiety and feedback negativity. Psychophysiology. 47 (5): 961 - 967.
• Hovenkamp-Hermelink, J.H.M., et al. (2019). Anxiety sensitivity, its stability and longitudinal association with severity of anxiety symptoms. Scientific Reports, 9, 4314.
• Taylor, S., et al. (2007). Robust dimensions of anxiety sensitivity: Development and initial validation of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3. Psychological Assessment, 19, pp. 176 - 188.