POWER OVER PANIC: ANTICIPATORY ANXIETY
The second category of avoidance behaviour is caused through anticipatory anxiety, the ‘what ifs’. This category differs from the first in its defence and control. The first category is an overall, ongoing attempt to control the disorder; the second is a defence against a specific spiral of high anxiety.
Anticipatory anxiety is the fear of having a panic attack while meeting a specific commitment. The overall defence against ongoing anxiety and panic attacks sometimes reduces them to a manageable level. However, the relative safety is lost when we have to break through our invisible boundaries to meet a specific commitment. It can be caused by going to the local shop, going out with family or friends, or anything.
It doesn’t matter if the event is five minutes or five months away. The anticipation of having to go past our invisible boundaries means breaking our tenuous control of our overall defence. This’triggers the ‘what ifs’: ‘what if I can’t do it?’ ‘what if I do have a panic attack?’. By the time we have to leave home to meet the commitment the anxiety level may be so high we cancel our plans and stay home. In other words, we avoidbecause of a specific spiral of anxiety.
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