anticipatory anxiety

Whats anticipatory anxiety?

Anticipatory anxiety is basically worrying about something happening before it actually occurs.

Like for example: Worrying about having a panic attack at the restaurant and not feeling good, freaking out and wanting to leave...


It's also known as "fortune teller" You are predicting things before the happen. I've done this so many times.


Also if you know you need to go somewhere, say a job interview, you automatically assume you are going to be panicky & anxious..... that's because your anticipating it.

“Anticipatory anxiety” is the anxiety one experiences before starting a challenging activity. Most often, anticipatory anxiety is a lot higher than what you actually end up experiencing.

Why do we experience anticipatory anxiety? I think it’s because the panic response is over-zealous about doing its job: trying to locate any danger, in order to protect us. When it can’t find any danger in the present, it looks into the future. Sometimes, the only possible “danger” it can find is something you haven't done yet!

Each time you actually start the new activity – bringing the activity into the present – the anticipatory anxiety fades away.

Pretty much likely everyone whose experienced anxiety will deal with anticipatory.
Hope that helps, take care.

i get it alot with going to work, i am convinced i will be anxous and that ill panic and get upset, and because im convinced of it by the time i get to work i am litrally as i thought cos iv wound myself up im anxous about being anxous

missp wrote:i get it alot with going to work, i am convinced i will be anxous and that ill panic and get upset, and because im convinced of it by the time i get to work i am litrally as i thought cos iv wound myself up im anxous about being anxous

That's typical of anxiety, and that's what anticipatory is, you automatically assume you'll be anxious, so you will be.

Hi!
Anticipatory anxiety simply means anxiety over something you hope would transpire.

“Anticipatory anxiety” is the anxiety one experiences before starting a challenging activity. Most often, anticipatory anxiety is a lot higher than what you actually end up experiencing.After the first attack, most patients develop the fear that another attack may occur. During the intervals between the attacks, therefore, the level of non-panic anxiety increases. Anticipatory anxiety has many of the characteristics of generalized anxiety: increase of attention, apprehension, and hyperactivity. This condition can be intrusive enough to cancel the difference between panic attacks and generalized anxiety. It is speculated that such a higher level of diffuse anxiety may lower the threshold for panic, thus increasing the risk of new attacks. The anticipatory anxiety leads to avoidance behavior, so that agoraphobia ensues.