What it is
Anticipatory anxiety — dread focused on future events — is a core feature of several anxiety disorders and maintains itself through avoidance and catastrophic thinking.
Research-supported
Anticipatory Anxiety
Anxious dread or apprehension focused on a future event. Common in anxiety disorders, health anxiety, and social anxiety, and can create avoidance cycles that reinforce the original fear.
CategoryMood
Reviewed by Dr. Ava Gardner · Integrative Health Researcher
26 March 2026
At a glance
Anticipatory Anxiety at a glance
Commonly experienced as
- Persistent worry about an upcoming event — medical, social, or professional
- Physical symptoms of anxiety — nausea, muscle tension, poor sleep — in the lead-up
- Difficulty thinking about anything else until the event has passed
- Tendency to catastrophise or imagine worst-case scenarios
- Relief when the event is over, followed by anticipation of the next one
