Since it is Election Day, it feels right to talk about anticipatory anxiety. This kind of dread is different from my normal, garden variety worry. Anticipatory anxiety is the kind of fear that relates to a specific outcome. This is an experience most lawyers will recognize.
In addition to the midterm elections which will have historic consequences in the United States, I’m also publishing a new book soon. The week after Election Day, I’ll be publishing my first work of fiction, A New Year’s Present.
This means that I am vacillating between hope and fear. In one moment, I am proud and excited. And in the next, I feel worried and scared. This is the calling card of dealing with fear about a specific outcome. Things like elections, big life changes, or the completion of a big project are bound to elicit such a response.
This post is about how to deal with anticipatory anxiety and the mindfulness strategies that can help.
What Is Anticipatory Anxiety?
According to the American Psychological Association, anticipatory anxiety is an understandable human reaction to uncertain outcomes. It commonly arises in the midst of life changes, such as job changes or when awaiting a medical diagnosis.
In recent years, though, it is more common for people to have major anxiety over things like elections. And, as I have experienced, we can sometimes have anxiety about positive things that mark a new phase in our life, like a marriage, a birth, or even the publication of a new book.
For people like me, who struggle with anxiety, an uncertain outcome is likely to cause extra worrying about the future. In part, that is because the uncertainty raises so many questions. This almost naturally prompts the mind to try to answer those questions with theories and schemes to create the illusion of safety and control.
Recognize the Signs of Anticipatory Anxiety
During election season, anticipatory anxiety may be easy to spot. In times of other life change, it may be more of a challenge. As I said, this kind of anxiety can show up even if the outcome you are worried about could be very good.
The calling card for anticipatory anxiety, then, may not be just the symptoms of fear and dread. Instead, it may be the cycling between emotional extremes.
If you find yourself feeling elated in one moment and devastated in the next, it could be a sign that you are reacting to an uncertain outcome. After over a decade of mindfulness practice, I tend to be pretty stable in terms of my emotions. Most of the time, I am calm and steady.
In recent weeks, though, I may feel proud and inspired in the morning but demotivated and nervous by lunch. While this rapid cycling can be hard to manage, it is in fact a quite logical response to an uncertain outcome that could produce any number of emotional reactions.
How Lawyers Can Reclaim Stability with Mindfulness
Now that we know what anticipatory anxiety is and how to recognize it, you may be wondering what you can do about it. Here are five steps rooted in mindfulness and compassion that can help.
Don’t fight the anxiety.
After recognizing the condition, the first step for dealing with anticipatory anxiety is to allow it. It helps to remember this essential mindfulness principle: don’t fight or judge your feelings. Accept them as they are. If possible, feel them as sensations in your body and avoid over analyzing them with a lot of thoughts.
Care for your feelings.
Another truth about feelings is that it doesn’t help to reason with them. You can’t outsmart your feelings. Instead, as mindfulness practice may teach you, the best way to to feel better faster is to care for your feelings. For big emotions, a practice like RAIN might be necessary. On hard days, though, I find that loving-kindness practice really helps me handle my feelings.
Lawyers need social support.
After taking some time to be with and care for your feelings, it also may be worth it to get support from loved ones. Asking for help or talking about your feelings may normalize your experience. It also helps to remember that you don’t have to face the challenges in your life alone.
Recognize that the anticipation is temporary
Impermanence is another essential lesson from mindfulness practice. The good thing about anticipatory anxiety is that, unlike other forms of dread, it at least has a clear end. As I have written before, “quantifying the suck” is one way to cope with a hard situation.
Recommit to your values regardless of the outcome
The bad news about anticipatory anxiety is that it may result in more anxiety if the worst case scenario actually happens. One way to prepare for this, though, is to recommit to your own values. Humans are remarkably resilient in navigating stress and difficulty if we can find the meaning in dong so. Reconnecting to your values, regardless of the outcome, is one way to support yourself no matter what.
Mindfulness Can Help Lawyers Navigate Anticipatory Anxiety
Anxiety over outcomes is a reality for many lawyers. It is part of our job to anticipate outcomes beyond our control. This can create overwhelm and rapid cycling in our emotions. With mindfulness, lawyers can navigate these changes, honor their emotions, get help, and reconnect to their values so they can face whatever the outcome in work and life.
Want to learn more about mindfulness and compassion? Check out my new book, A New Year’s Present, to learn about mindfulness from a heartwarming story. For a simple guide to creating a meditation practice of your own in 30 days, try How to Be a Badass Lawyer. And to share mindfulness with your little one, check out my new children’s book, Mommy Needs a Minute.
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