Suggestions for Coping With Anticipatory Anxiety
Let’s face it. By now you must realize that there is no easy way to get rid of anticipatory anxiety. But there are a few suggestions for making that anxiety more manageable.
First, label your anticipatory anxiety as just that–anticipatory anxiety. It is real anxiety, but it is different from the anxiety you will experience when you make contact with what frightens you. Remind yourself that anticipatory anxiety has a life of its own, and can remain a potent source of fear even after you have otherwise conquered your phobia.
Second, remember that anticipatory anxiety is not an accurate indicator of how anxious you will be when you encounter your anxiety triggers. Stay with the fact that 95% of the time your anticipatory anxiety will be much greater than the anxiety you experience when you are in the situation. As you practice exposing yourself to your fears, you will see that a pattern begins to emerge: anticipatory anxiety will generally be much higher than your situational anxiety. Make note of this patterns as they emerge, and try to use these facts to anchor yourself.
Third, you can use judicious amounts of benzodiazepines (minor tranquillizers) to help you manage anticipatory anxiety. This class of medications seems to target this sort of anxiety quite specifically. There is a down side to this, however. Studies have shown that in addition to reducing anticipatory anxiety, these medications also reduce the therapeutic effectiveness of exposure. So you will have to weigh benefits against the negative.

Fourth, try to commit yourself to the activity you are worried about. Remember that your “should I or shouldn’t I?” debate will intensify your anticipatory anxiety, while a commitment to follow through will allow it to stop increasing.
Fifth, try to turn your anticipatory anxiety into a learning experience about the power of your brain to affect your feelings. Again, remember that while anticipatory anxiety is real anxiety, it a type of anxiety that is 100% generated by images in your mind. There are no physical or behavioral triggers to this anxiety. It is independent of external causes. You will usually think of worse case scenarios when anticipating how terrifying your future experience will be; these scenarios sometimes have nothing to do with external reality. Observing your own anticipatory anxiety will help you grasp how powerfully your brain can create it’s own version of reality