What Does Assumed Anxiety Do To Us?
Assumed anxiety is a process that is performed on a mental level. We imagine the worst that can possibly happen in a given situation that causes stress or anxiety. For example, before you go to a job interview, imagine that they are asking you awkward questions that you do not know how to answer. Then you do not know what to say, and do not get the job you applied for.
One of the immediate consequences of this type of anxiety is that we stop focusing on the present. We begin to project black clouds into the future that we cannot spread out again, simply because we cannot reach into the future and touch these events. The expectation is related to catastrophic future thoughts. It is as if we are constantly living on the brink of danger, and we must protect ourselves against possible future threats.
Negative thoughts cause anxiety
Even though we do not want them to, negative thoughts can often invade and control our minds and make us feel anxious. When what we think makes us feel bad, we call this distorted thoughts or cognitive disturbances. These thoughts make us see the world through a preconceived view of reality. It is as if we are wearing dark glasses that cloud the light of day.
Imagine that you are in front of an audience and you have to give a lecture. If you have anticipated anxiety, then catastrophic thoughts such as “I will not be able to do it”, “I will forget what to say”, or “They will laugh at me” can appear. This will make it difficult for you to think clearly about situations you perceive as threatening. If we continue to have such thoughts, they may end up becoming reality. Psychologists call this this self-fulfilling prophecy.
The self-fulfilling prophecy generates a negative expectation that shapes our behavior until what we had imagined is actually fulfilled. If we believe that we will get an iron curtain when we give a presentation, we can well create the circumstances for this to actually happen, and thus confirm our negative prediction.
Assumed anxiety tries to predict the future and makes it worse
Anxiety helps us mobilize our body against a possible threat or a real danger. It’s not bad in itself; On the contrary, it gives us information about possible imminent dangers. On the other hand , anxiety still attempts to predict the consequences of a future event. It tries to prevent a danger that has not yet occurred. This can be helpful on some occasions, and can help protect us, but other times it will make our path significantly more difficult.
For example, if you are thinking that you will have an accident while driving, the first thing you will want to do when you get out to your car is to wear a seat belt. This type of response can protect you in the event of an accident. But not all reactions from the assumed anxiety will help. To use the same example of being afraid of having an accident, you can decide to stay home and not take the car. Your anxiety will increase because of this and you will not get rid of it.
Some symptoms that anxiety can cause are: dizziness, tachycardia, sweating, chest pain and stuttering, among many others. In addition, there may be a feeling that emotions are taking over us and that we are losing control of the situation. These symptoms are due to a lack of tolerance for what we can not control. We often find it difficult to deal with feelings of insecurity, and we become stressed when we cannot control everything that happens around us.
Some tips to reduce the anxiety provided
To overcome the assumed anxiety, you often need a psychological agreement, in some cases supplemented with a pharmacological one. Some advice is: Stop the negative thoughts, focus on your breathing, practice mindfulness, exercise, and practice yourself in situations that make you panic. Let’s take them one by one.
To stop or delay your negative thoughts
Imagine being able to talk to your negative thoughts and tell them that you do not want them to step on you anymore. Tell them that they must stop bothering you and that you will pay attention to them later when you have finished focusing on other important issues. If we delay our thoughts, it is easier for our emotions to be less affected and for us to feel more secure.
This habit of delaying thinking about a particular idea works best when we set a day and time to consider it. By doing this, we do not postpone it indefinitely.
Practice facing situations that scare you
If you regularly expose yourself to things you are afraid of, your anxiety will gradually subside. The solution is not to avoid what you fear, but to face small challenges that can help you overcome your deepest fears. For example, if you are afraid of flying, a first positive step might be to go and pick someone up from the airport and see how the planes take off and land.
Practice the art of living in the present
Anxiety arises because you think too far into the future of your life. Therefore, if you train yourself to live in the present, you will feel much calmer. Practicing things like mindfulness or meditation can help you overcome the anxiety associated with it. For example, if you focus on breathing during the last minutes before a presentation, your negative thoughts may disappear or at least be reduced.
Do some exercise that makes you feel good
Exercising can help you leave the anxiety behind once and for all. Not only will you take care of your body, but you will also help your mental health. To turn exercising into a habit, it is important that you introduce it gradually. If you binge on it, the only thing you will experience is just stiffness, possibly an injury, and you will not do any more of it until a very long time has passed.
If we use the assumed anxiety energy as an impulse to improve ourselves and learn from ourselves, then we use the positive side. We can learn to face it and show a healthy degree of skepticism about what it predicts.
To do this, it is useful to learn to de-dramatize and to see that in the end the worst that can happen is just a probability. The rest of our lives happen here and now, right in front of our noses, and we have the opportunity to seize it, grow and live fully in the present.
