There’s the anxiety you feel because something stressful is actually happening and then there’s anxiety you feel because something might, potentially, possibly happen in the future. “That’s anticipatory anxiety, and it’s relatively common,” says licensed therapist Taylor Newendorp MA, LCPC.
“Our brains like to prepare and plan ahead—it’s a protective mechanism. So it’s pretty natural to think through how something might go,” says Newendorp. In other words: anticipatory anxiety is normal. But when it is excessive and leads to a debilitating level of worry about the future, the anxiety can significantly impact your daily life and well-being.
Keep reading to learn more about the signs of anticipatory anxiety and how to get help if you’re prone to this type of “future-tripping.”
We can help you manage uncertainty about the future
What is anticipatory anxiety?
Anticipatory anxiety is not a disorder. Rather, anticipatory anxiety is a common symptom of anxiety disorders and other related mental health conditions. It’s characterized by excessive fear and worry about a future event or circumstance and often leads to a persistent feeling of being overwhelmed.
Anticipatory anxiety can be about anything. Someone might experience anticipatory anxiety before something like a job interview, an important meeting, or a social event. Someone may also have anticipatory anxiety about potential future occurrences that they cannot control—such as natural disasters or climate events, the death of a loved one, the results of an election, or the loss of a relationship.
Common signs of anticipatory anxiety
Here are some examples of the kind of thinking that counts as anticipatory anxiety:
- I don’t even have this job interview yet, but I’m anxious as soon as I send my resume to the recruiter because I think about all the ways I might fumble during the interview—or how I might have imposter syndrome if I’m offered the job.
- Before I go on planes, I think of the worst-case scenario, which ends up making me more nervous about my flight.
- When I know a big change is coming, I worry about the uncertainties that might come my way.
- Before a big presentation, I worry that I’ll stumble on my words and embarrass myself in front of my colleagues.
- As my exam comes up, I’m concerned that I’ll forget all the information I learned, which makes me feel like I might fail.
- As I’m waiting for my date to arrive, I pre-plan conversations in my head to ensure there are no awkward silences.
- With the growing number of hurricanes occurring this season, I’m worried about future natural disasters in my area.
Why am I worried about the future?
There’s so much in life that’s beyond our control, and that uncertainty about the future is uncomfortable. As a result, our brains try to fill in the blanks, even with outcomes that we anticipate will be negative.
“Worrying about the state of the world we live in today, about climate change, about politics, about wars, even if they’re halfway around the world—all this stuff that is literally completely out of our control,” Newendorp says. “The fact that it’s out of people’s control adds to their anxiety.”
Additionally, sometimes anticipatory anxiety can arise when people don’t trust their ability to cope with whatever comes their way. Or it can be the direct result of a memory that got ingrained: maybe you had a bad experience with shots as a child, and now every time you go to the doctor for a blood draw, you anticipate that it will be just as awful.
What causes anticipatory anxiety?
The cause of anticipation anxiety is not fully understood but may be a result of a combination of genetics and life experiences. People with a family history of anxiety disorders or high levels of stress or trauma may also be at a greater risk for anxiety.
As mentioned earlier, it’s important to remember that anticipatory anxiety isn’t a diagnosis of its own. Rather, it can be symptom of other mental health conditions such as the following:
General Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
GAD affects 6.8 million adults or 3.1% of the US population, and is characterized by excessive and uncontrollable worry, often about everyday things. Someone with GAD who also has anticipatory anxiety may spend a lot of time predicting what might happen before it actually does—then feeling anxious over that anticipated outcome (like, for example, the results of the upcoming election or a child—who is eight years old—not getting accepted into a reputable college someday).
Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)
The mental health condition falls under anxiety disorders—and it’s more than just shyness. Someone with SAD may experience a fear of being judged negatively, or acting in a way that is embarrassing or humiliating. As a result, someone with SAD experiencing anticipatory anxiety might worry about engaging in social situations weeks or months before they happen, or even avoid certain social commitments altogether.
Specific phobias
A specific phobia is characterized by marked fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation, which is actually disproportionate to the actual danger it may cause—and there are countless types of specific phobias. Someone with, say, a fear of flying (aviophobia) who has anticipatory anxiety might book a flight that’s months away and spend every day leading up to that trip dreaming up the worst-case scenario.
OCD
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic mental health condition characterized by intrusive, unwanted, and recurring thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive mental or physical behaviors (compulsions) done to alleviate the distress caused by obsessions. “In OCD, anticipation tends to get really extreme,” says Newendorp. “Someone might spend the majority of their time throughout the day thinking about and actively worrying about an upcoming thing related to their obsession. There’s an assumption, or almost like a negative prediction, that things will not go well.”
Anticipatory anxiety for someone with OCD might manifest as excessive rumination. Why? Because most people with OCD experience a high degree of discomfort with uncertainty. As a result, they may engage in compulsions such as rumination—turning questions or concerns over and over again in their minds—looking for a definitive answer and attempting to resolve any doubt.
Symptoms of anticipatory anxiety
Often, symptoms of anticipatory anxiety resemble those of general anxiety. Anticipatory anxiety can include physical effects such as increased heart rate, sweating, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and dizziness. Issues like sleep disturbances, nausea, and abdominal distress may also occur when you’re constantly anxious about the future.
How to cope with anticipatory anxiety
Telling someone with anticipatory anxiety “not to worry” is rather pointless. That said, there is hope—as many people with anticipatory anxiety have learned to reduce their fears about the future. Here are some tips that can help:
Practice basic self-care
When anticipatory anxiety strikes, you may have a hard time sleeping, feeding yourself well, or making time to nurture your friendships. After all, all your energy may be spent worrying about something in the future. That’s why it’s so critical to tend to the basics. Maybe that looks like preparing a meal for yourself from the day before, so you can have a nutritious meal. Or devoting 15 minutes before bed to good sleep hygiene, like setting your bedroom up for a comfortable night of shut-eye.
Know your triggers
Some people, for example, notice that their anticipatory anxiety tends to spike when they receive notifications on their phone, such as news updates. In this case, you can manage your notifications or, better yet, set boundaries around your phone use.
Get moving
There’s an expression: Move a muscle, change a thought. What that means is that when anticipatory anxiety takes over your thoughts, it may help to move your body a bit. For instance, take a yoga class, or just go on a walk. Plenty of research suggests that exercise helps reduce stress and anxiety.
Know when you need professional help
Whether you spend far too much time in anticipatory anxiety (and can’t manage it on your own) or you think it’s a symptom of an underlying mental health condition, it’s critical to know when to seek professional help. Here’s a hint: It never hurts to reach out to a therapist if you’re concerned, especially if your anxiety is leading to “ongoing levels of stress and distress, interfering with your ability to focus, or making it harder to engage in social interactions,” says Newendorp.
Of course, the exact type of therapy you need will be different based on the underlying condition you’re dealing with. For anticipatory anxiety related to OCD, exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy is most effective. ERP is backed by decades of clinical research and can drastically help people with OCD reduce the cycle of obsessions and compulsions. In other words: You won’t spend all your time obsessing over something bad happening in the future, then doing compulsions to cope with your distress about that.
However, for someone who meets the criteria for an anxiety disorder and not OCD, treatment might look different. “With someone with anxiety, we would also implement traditional CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), which is looking at the kinds of thoughts and worries that are causing any level of anxiety and stress, and finding ways to reframe or challenge those thoughts,” Newendorp says.
Anticipatory anxiety can be a symptom of an anxiety disorder or OCD—and therapy can help
The takeaway
It’s perfectly normal to worry or feel anxious about the future from time to time. Sometimes it’s hard to think, What if everything turns out fine? What if something good happens? But this tendency to anticipate worst-case scenarios can prevent us from fully enjoying the present moment or pursuing opportunities that could potentially lead to positive, wonderful experiences. Recognizing this pattern is an important first step, as is knowing when it’s time to reach out for professional help.