Do you have anxiety about your anxiety?
If you have ever experienced anxiety, such racing thoughts, profusely sweating or feeling dizzy or light-headed, you know that it can sometimes hit you out of nowhere. It can be especially jarring when you are enjoying a perfectly calm and relaxing day and suddenly you are caught up in an anxiety attack and you begin to feel panicked and as if you are abruptly spiraling out of control. After this has happened to you a few times, especially at a work event or a special event, you can begin to see the anxiety potentially lurking around every corner just waiting to pounce onto you and reel the moment out of your grasp.
Anticipatory anxiety is a real thing! Once you have been surprised by an anxiety attack or a panic attack you can begin to have a sense of dread or fear about when it is going to happen again. Feeling as if our anxiety is a monster under the bed just waiting for us to relax in order to attack can be a terrifying experience. Anticipatory anxiety can make us feel apprehensive about committing to events or activities that has the potential or even the probability to trigger anxiety symptoms such as feeling detached from our own body or suddenly sweating through our fanciest dress. Anticipatory anxiety is the precise reason why isolation is a telltale sign of those that feel out of control of their tendency to experience anxiety. If we are alone then we may be less likely to have an anxiety attack or panic attack and we are also less likely to have others bear witness to those fearful moments in our life.
Of course we want to avoid experiencing anxiety (it is not fun!!!) but we can also dread living our life knowing that we may have it pop up and maybe ruining our day. Identifying triggers that nudge us into engaging in anxious thoughts and/or behaviors is one tactic to assist in managing having anxiety about our anxiety. Utilizing mindfulness to focus our awareness on the feelings and emotions, without judgment, and simply observing what increases and decreases our feelings of anxiety can help us gain a greater understanding on what may trigger an anxiety/panic attack in the future so that we are not caught off guard. For example, if speaking in front of others and having anxiety about how people perceive you may be triggered when you need to give a presentation at work or speak at your best friends’s wedding reception. Once we observe our feelings and emotions and identify triggers for our anxiety, we can begin to develop actionable strategies and coping mechanisms to assist when and if anxiety suddenly rears it head in our day to day life.
When we begin to have anxiety about potential anxiety, we can also challenge unhelpful and untrue thoughts that take the train and run it right off the tracks. Awareness of those pesky anxious thoughts can allow us to counteract in real time, in that very moment and we rejecting the feeling of being afraid of our anxiety. In therapy, we can discover and create mechanisms that challenge anxious thoughts, feelings and emotions to regain focus on the present moment and keep life firmly on track without the potential derailment of your entire day. Together, we can find personalized ways to manage anticipatory anxiety so that you are not constantly worried that anxiety will creep up and catch you by surprise. Therapy allows a safe space to talk with someone who gets it and can help you discover how to improve your life.
Please note: this blog post is for informational and instructional purposes only. The information included may not be the best fit for your personal situation. Blog posts should not be considered as medical, legal or financial advice. The educational content included in blog posts are not intended to replace professional advice or information. Check with your own medical or business professional before implementing any information or advice provided here on the Chatwin Counseling blog.
