Fear Is An Anticipatory Emotion

Anticipatory Anxiety

Fear is an anticipatory emotion that stems from less than desirable results that you believe may occur given a certain set of circumstances. Oftentimes failure or rejection is associated with fear. However inasmuch as you can anticipate failure or rejection, you can also anticipate success and acceptance?

DISCLAIMER:  Let me make it clear that this post does not include fears related to anticipatory anxiety conditions that are medically based. 

Anytime you find yourself in a state of anticipatory anxiety, the first thing you may want to do is consider whether your fear is justified.  Chances are that nothing has happened to cause you to feel this way.  Secondly, try asking yourself what is the worst thing that can happen?  Depending on how motivated you are, even if you fail or are rejected at one junction, you can always try again.

Let’s use public speaking as an example.  Fear of public speaking is common even among people who make a living speaking publicly.  You may fear that you’ll forget what you want to say or fumble the delivery of a speech.  For the average person that does not speak publicly for a living, I would be willing to bet that the solution to overcoming that fear is to be well versed on the subject for which you would be speaking. This is something that is easily achievable either by experience or research.  Knowledge builds confidence in any situation.

Building Confidence Reduces Fear

Build Confidence Reduce Fear

Anticipatory anxiety is usually accompanied by a visual of the failure or rejection occurring.  If you can visualize failure,  what is preventing you from visualize success or acceptance?  Instead of working yourself up thinking about the worse things that could happen, why not anticipate acceptance and or success?  Start visualizing yourself where you want to be or doing what you want to do and start working towards that end and seeing yourself already there.   Make it your goal to do a something every day that will put you closer to reducing fear and achieving success.  Whether you spend five minutes a day or five hours a day, make sure that you take some action that will lead to your desired outcome.  If you need more info, get it.  If you haven’t written out a plan, do it.  If you need to practice, then practice, then practice daily.  All of these actions will build confidence and reduce fear.

You can do this.

“Every day presents another opportunity to hit the reset button on your life.”  Charita Cadenhead