Overcoming Anticipatory Anxiety: A CBT Guide for Moving past Chronic Indecisiveness, Avoidance, and Catastrophic Thinking

by Sally M. Winston, Martin N. Seif

Get ahead of your anticipatory anxiety, and start living with flexibility and peace of mind. Do you automatically assume the worst-case-scenario when faced with difficulty? Do you stress about situations that haven’t happened yet, or find yourself anticipating disaster around every corner? Does the prospect of making a decision leave you feeling overwhelmed and paralyzed? From subtle avoidance behaviors to the most nightmarish terrors, anticipatory anxiety is the engine that drives it all. Understanding how this hidden enemy tricks you, and, most importantly, how to overcome it, will liberate you to live a more flexible and joyful life. In Overcoming Anticipatory Anxiety , two anxiety experts team up to teach you how to manage your overactive imagination, limit future-based thinking, face your fears, make decisions, and live with more freedom and joy. This must-have guide is grounded in the authors' innovative and easy-to-remember DANCE model:   Your relationship with your worries and imagination will shift, so that you can focus on what is genuinely important. It’s time to stop worrying about what might happen, start facing your fears, rein in your self-defeating imagination, and live fully in the moment. Get this book and discover the motivation and skills needed to take charge of your anticipatory anxiety.

Genres: Self Help, Psychology, Nonfiction, Mental Health, Audiobook, Personal Development, Health

184 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2022

Reviews

[Doaa · Rating 2 out of 5]

فيه تطويل زيادة عن اللزوم.. ومالقيتش الاستفادة اللي كنت متوقعاها منه للأسف.

[Anna Avian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Repetitive and wordy at times. I read a lot of what I already knew and found little substantial resolution. Although this may not be a groundbreaking book it still might be helpful to different people looking for accessible information.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to New Harbinger Publications and NetGalley.

[January · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overcoming Anticipatory Anxiety: A CBT Guide for Moving Past Chronic Indecisiveness, Avoidance, and Catastrophic Thinking by Sally M. Winston, PsyD, and Martin N. Seif, PhD
6h 3m narrated by Linda Jones, 184 pages

Genre: Nonfiction, Health & Wellness, Anxiety Disorders, Psychology, Stress Management, Mental Health, Inspiring

Featuring: Anticipatory Anxiety, Depression, Moods, Imagination, Helpful Facts, Conclusions, End of Chapter Key Points, Chronic Indecisiveness, Procrastination, Delaying, Forgetting, Escape Clauses, Biology of Anxious Bodies, Sticky Minds, Types of Avoidance, Getting Hijacked by Your Imagination, Anxious Thinking, Catastrophic Perfectionism, Desire for Certainty, Fear of Regret, The Therapeutic Attitude, Surrender and Commit, DANCE, Common Questions Answered, What Recovery Looks Like, References, Graphics (in Accompanying PDF for audio)

Rating as a movie: NR/PG

Quotes: "You may not have heard the term “anticipatory anxiety,” but if you experience it, it likely affects your life every day. From your very subtle aversions or avoidances to your most horrendous terrors, anticipatory anxiety is the engine that drives it all. You may have seen its effect on your life and your loved ones. Anticipatory anxiety is what makes you miss out on opportunities, frustrate others with your reluctance to make commitments, and suffer disappointments when you turn down challenges. Anticipatory anxiety is present when you worry, when you back away, and when you try to find escape routes and backup plans. While it’s not a formal diagnosis on its own, it is present in almost all anxiety states. Its impact can be enormous, reducing flexibility and diminishing freedom, spontaneity, and pleasure."

"Chapters 1 and 2 introduce the concepts of anticipatory anxiety and chronic indecisiveness. In chapter 3, we present the biological underpinnings of anxiety and how they interact with some environmental stressors. Chapter 4 tackles the topic of avoidance—subtle and obvious, big and small, conscious and unconscious—and why avoidance maintains and reinforces anticipatory anxiety and chronic indecisiveness. Chapter 5 explains how your imagination manages to hijack your own good common sense so your predictions become catastrophic and both choice and commitment become problematic. Chapter 6 examines the three major factors that contribute to chronic indecisiveness: perfectionism, the desire for certainty, and fear of regret. Chapter 7 explains the metacognitive perspective that will set you up to move past your fearful imagination and catastrophic thinking. We introduce and illustrate a fundamental shift in attitude that is central to recovery. In chapter 8, you will learn how to apply the shifts in perspective and attitude to real-life situations and be introduced to DANCE—the five steps of therapeutic surrender. Chapter 9 answers common problematic questions that arise, and chapter 10 describes what recovery looks like and how it is maintained."

"We think of anticipatory anxiety as a third layer of fear. Let us explain:

First, we can be afraid of something. Think, for example: I am scared of a bee.

Second, we can be afraid of being afraid. This is sometimes called the “fear of fear,” and we know this as panic. Think of this example: If I see a bee, I might get so frightened that I have a panic attack and then lose control or have a heart attack.

Finally, we get to the third level of fear. That is, we can be afraid of being afraid of being afraid. This is not as complicated as it sounds; it goes like this: I am miserable even thinking about camping next week because I might see a bee and have a panic attack, lose control, and do something crazy. Maybe I should cancel the camping trip."

"It can present as phobic avoidance, fear of being alone, performance anxiety, or insomnia. It can look like the elaborate planning that someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder must do to avoid encountering contamination or the agony that a person with illness anxiety goes through waiting for test results. It can be the haunting fear of the return of an unwanted intrusive thought. It can also be experienced as chronic hyperventilation."

"Your anticipatory anxiety might be expressed as a fear of going to parties or restaurants or of traveling, lest you encounter something there you believe you can’t handle. A desire to avoid being alone at night might stem from anticipatory anxiety about suddenly becoming ill or having scary thoughts. Anticipatory anxiety about imagined relationships might be why you avoid dating. Anticipatory anxiety about possibly getting fired might make you “sick” every morning before you leave for work."

"Helpful Fact—The what-if part of the worry thought in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is anticipatory anxiety."

Songs for the soundtrack: "Let It Be" by The Beatles

Books and Authors mentioned: Needing to Know for Sure by Seif and Winston,

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟😟😄

My thoughts: 📱30% 1:47:32 Chapter 3. The Biology of Anxious Bodies and Sticky Minds - 🤯 Wow! This book feels truly amazing. I'm going to take a little extra time and let it soak in. I felt pretty motivated to get some stuff done after hearing these relatable scenarios.
📱38% 2:19:19 Chapter 4. Avoidance: How Anticipatory Anxiety and Chronic Indecisiveness Get Stuck - I'm so torn between finishing this book and reading again with print in November and pausing this book and finishing in November. The quotes are golden and I want to share the key points to encourage others to read this book, but I also don't want to put it down and I'm trying to not let the busy bee trait control this review and fill it with clutter, I want to read not analyze. I can analyze it later.

This book has a lot of good information. I will be revisiting it in a few weeks. I got my daughter a copy. It was truly amazing, but I decided not to go into details; it's worth the read, and the additional points don't need to be noted in this review.

Recommend to others: Yes. Even if you don't have anxiety, this is a great book.

11/15/2024 +174-page Kindle Ebook
It's even better the second time. I read a few passages to my son, it's very relatable although he found it humorous and universal.

[Cyndi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this difficult to follow and frustrating to read. The passages were convoluted. There was some helpful information but it is much better said in other books.

[Mohammad Sadegh Rasooli · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://delsharm.blog.ir/1403/09/09/a...

برخلاف بیشتر کتاب‌های خودیاری که پر از قصه و صفحه‌پراکنی بی‌خود است، این کتاب مختصر و مفید و در حد ۱۶۰ صفحه به مسألهٔ تردید در تصمیم‌گیری و اضطراب پیش‌نگرانه (معطوف به آینده) پرداخته است و برخلاف کتاب‌های این حوزه اصلاً دست به توصیه‌های عجیب و غریب نزده است. اصل حرف آن است که به خاطر سه دلیل عمدهٔ کمال‌گرایی (perfectionism(، ترس از پشیمانی نسبت به تصمیم (fear of regret) و ترس از عدم قطعیت (fear of uncertainty)، عدم تصمیم‌گیری همراه با تفکر دوری تکرارشونده (overthinking) اتفاق می‌افتد. حال آن که هیچ چیزی به کمال نزدیک نمی‌شود، هیچ وقت نمی‌شود تضمین داد که پشیمان نمی‌شویم و هیچ وقت عدم قطعیت به وجود نمی‌آید. مهم‌تر آن که جنگیدن با این احساسات، کتمان این احساسات یا توصیه به مضطرب نبودن (تقریباً کاری که در سنت‌های خانوادگی مرسوم است) مسأله را بدتر می‌کند. روی آوردن به عادت‌های فراموشی مانند پناه آوردن به داروی مسکن، تماشای فیلم‌های سرگرم‌کننده و مشغول شدن به هله‌هوله صرفاً این اضطراب‌ها را موقتاً پس می‌زند تا این اتفاقات با قدرتی بیشتر برگردند و اصطلاحاً «پدر صاحب‌بچه را دربیاورند.» از آن بدتر که حرف‌های کلی مانند مثبت‌اندیشی، حذف تفکرات سمی منفی یا قانون جذب همه و همه فکرهای جادویی غیرقابل اثبات (و در واقع غلط) هستند. توصیهٔ کلی نویسندگان روی آوردن به تفکر عقل سلیم است که اولاً این کاملاً طبیعی است که آدم نگران باشد و این هم طبیعی است که بعضی افراد به دلایل مختلف بیشتر از بقیه نگرانی داشته باشند. حرف آن است که سعی شود با نگاهی فراشناختی (metacognitive) یعنی تفکر در مورد طرز فکر، این فکرهای منفی را حلاجی کرد و در بیشتر موارد به این نقطه رسید که در این فکرهای تکرارشونده چیزی جز وسواس فکری بی‌مبنا وجود ندارد. سعی شود در لحظه زیست و بین برنامه‌ریزی (planning) و تفکر تکراری بی‌فایده تفاوت قائل شد. شاید خط به خط این کتاب توصیف وجهی از احساسات و رفتارهای شخصی من باشد.

همان طور که گفتم برخلاف بیشتر کتاب‌های خودیاری در این حوزه، خبری از قصه‌گویی‌های درازدامن نیست. نویسندگان دو کتاب قبل از این کتاب داشته‌اند که قانع شدم آن‌ها را تهیه کنم و بخوانم.

پ.ن: نکته‌ای حاشیه‌ای این که کتاب‌ها تقریباً حجم برابر و طرح جلد و انتشاراتی یکسان دارند (در آمریکا بر اساس تعداد صفحات کتاب قیمت نمی‌خورد و گاهی قیمت یک کتاب هزار صفحه‌ای ارزان‌تر از صد صفحه‌ای است). حالا قیمت اولی (۲۰۱۷) ۱۸ دلار،‌ دومی (۲۰۱۹) ۱۹ دلار و این آخری (۲۰۲۲) ۲۲ دلار است. پیدا کنید پرتقال‌فروش تورم را.

[Magdy Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

"كتابة رواية تشبه قيادة سيارة ليلا. يمكنك أن ترى فقط بقدر ما تصل إليه أضواء السيارة الأمامية، لكنك تستطيع أن تكمل الرحلة بأكملها بهذه الطريقة "

الحقيقة تجربتى مع كتب علم النفس وتنمية الذات لم تكن موفقة بشكل كبير لأسباب منها ضعف المحتوى او الحشو الذى يجعلك تمل وتنفر من الكتاب لكن عنوان
هذا الكتاب كان جديد بالنسبالى وهذا ما دفعنى لقراءته ، أصبت ببعض الملل بسبب تكرار بعض الافكار ويمكن الكاتب يقصد هذا التكرار لتثبيت الفكرة فى ذهن القارئ لكن فى المجمل هو كتاب جيد

لا يوجد انسان فى الحياة لم يمر بقلق عن شئ ما ده شئ طبيعى فى حياتنا خصوصا فى هذا الزمن لكن الكتاب هنا يتحدث عن القلق الذى يجعلك متجمد فى مكانك أو فى مرحلة معينة فى مسارك سواء التعليمي او الوظيفى كما تعرفه الدكتورة سالى وينستون " القلق الاستباقي هو أحد تلك الأوقات في الحياة حين يؤدي القيام بأي شيء إلى جعل الأمور أسوأ، حين يكون القيام بالأقل هو الأكثر فائدة وعدم القيام بأي شيء هو الأفضل "

ثم تبدأ الكاتبة بتشريح القلق الاستباقى وما يحدث داخل العقل حينها وما هيا الاسباب التى تعزز هذا القلق ، ثم تنتقل الى طرق التعامل معه حيث تقول الكاتبة فى هذا " عندما تشعر بالإحباط لأنك عالق بشدة، أو عندما تتفاوض مع نفسك للبحث عن طريقة للهروب، أو عندما تنشغل بنسج القصص حول كوارث محتملة، الزم نفسك بأخذ خطوة للوراء من أفكارك وعد لتقدير الحاضر. هذا اقتراح بسيط للغاية. وستلاحظ أنك إذا تركت بعض الوقت يمر، وسمحت لنفسك بأن تدرك أنه لا توجد حالة طوارئ حقيقية الآن، فإن نظام الإنذار النشط بداخلك يهدأ " .

[Ashley Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overcoming Anticipatory Anxiety by Sally M. Winston and Martin N. Seif uses a cognitive behaviour therapy approach to help readers deal with chronic indecisiveness, avoidance, and catastrophic thinking.

The book begins by explaining anticipatory anxiety, which is the expectation of distress and the push towards avoidance that occurs before you encounter the situation you fear in real life. The authors refer to it as the “third layer” of fear—it’s being afraid of being afraid of being afraid. They explain that sometimes people will refer to this as “free-floating anxiety” when they’re not actually aware of what they’re anticipating.

The book describes how anticipatory anxiety shows up in anxiety disorders and OCD, as well as other conditions like PTSD, mood disorders, and substance use disorders. In generalized anxiety disorder, anticipatory anxiety is the initial what if, which is then followed by thoughts to try to make that anticipatory anxiety go away; however, those subsequent thoughts actually end up reinforcing the anxiety. In OCD, anticipatory anxiety drives the performance of compulsive behaviours. In anxiety disorders and OCD, anticipatory anxiety often sticks around the longest during people’s recovery journeys.

One of the topics covered is chronic indecisiveness, which is presented as a behaviour that can be changed rather than a personality trait. There’s a not-so-fun mental loop where people have anticipatory anxiety so they try to avoid making decisions (the book describes strategies like procrastination and convenient forgetting), but indecision increases anticipatory anxiety. The book explores several issues that can feed into indecisiveness, like FOMO, feeling the need to make the best/right choice, fear of regret, and perfectionism.

There’s a chapter devoted to how anxiety works in our minds and bodies. The authors explain how the amygdala works and why it sends out a lot of false alarms (way back in the day, that would have helped save you from getting eaten). There are also personality traits that people can be genetically predisposed to that make anxiety more of an issue. Because of the way the brain is set up, the feelings you get are basically the same when you’re actually in danger vs. when you’re anxious. I thought the authors did a really good job of explaining this in a way that validated why people feel the way they feel but at the same time giving a solid alternative way of evaluating those feelings.

The book also explores avoidance, pointing out that this removes the possibility of new learning to teach your brain that your catastrophizing isn’t accurate. Also, the more effort you put into trying to remove unwanted thoughts and feelings, the more they stick around.

“Surrender and commit” is presented as the antidote to avoidance. This includes “attending to what is instead of what if,” disentangling yourself from your thinking, and committing to proceeding with either action or choice. I quite liked this line: “problems related to too much thinking are not solved with more thinking.”

The book closes with a chapter on troubleshooting and a chapter that explores what recovery might look like (and what it won’t look like).

I liked this book. I thought the explanations were really effective at conveying why our minds work the way they do. Another thing I liked was that the authors seemed very realistic. There were no flowery promises about strategies that will have you feeling better lickety-split. CBT-based books sometimes annoy me by being overly certain, but this book didn’t have that feel to it. The focus on anticipatory anxiety isn’t something I’ve encountered in other books on anxiety that I’ve read. Overall, I thought it was quite well done.


I received a reviewer copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright, when am I getting my royalties, because this book was obviously written about me?
As a person who clearly has anticipatory anxiety, I found this book to be a helpful reminder that sometimes you just have to suck it up and make the choice, schedule the appointment, have the talk, etc. coping mechanisms can’t help you all the time, but restructuring your mindset can. I think this will be a book I look back on frequently.

The only negative I have to say is that the phrase “anticipatory anxiety” was extremely overused. Sometimes it’d be 10 times in a paragraph.

[Mindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very good. Very insightful and helpful. Loved the quite below.

Imagine an eagle sitting high up on a branch of a tree. He notices a crack in the branch. Why is he not scared? Is it because he is reassuring himself that the crack is small or that his weight won't affect it? Or is he telling himself that the chances are very small that it will break today? No. He is not scared because he knows he can fly. - Jonathan Dalton

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, Winston and Seif provide a clear, easy to follow layman’s explanation of anxiety, fear, avoidance, and maladaptive responses. This one was on my shelf for months waiting its turn. I should have moved it to the front of the line. Not really a how-to book so don’t expect step by step tips and tricks, but a great resource when it comes to understanding anticipatory anxiety in its many forms. In my opinion a great psychoeducational tool that can help change the way you see and relate to anticipatory anxiety.

Bonus: The subtitle includes the acronym “CBT” but this isn’t old school concepts rehashed. There is lots of current stuff in the book that you’ll also find in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Metacognitive Therapy too. Kudos for not just recycling old material.

[ياسمين خليفة · Rating 4 out of 5]

الكتاب يتحدث عن القلق والتردد المرضي الذي يجعل الانسان عاجزا عن اتخاذ اي قرار وان اتخذه فهو يعجز عن تنفيذه
وهذا النوع من التردد يعوق الانسان عن ممارسة حياته الطبيعية
المفاجأة في هذا الكتاب انه لا يقدم العلاجات المتوقعة لمرضى القلق فلا يطلب منهم التنفس بعمق او الانشغال باي شيء اخر او مجادلة القلق او محاولة اعاقته بل يطلب منهم التعامل بمنطق التقبل والتسليم للاحساس بالقلق مهما كان بالغا ثم المضي قدما في تنفيذ القرار الذي اتخذه الانسان والتعامل مع اللحظة كما هي بدون مجادلة صوت القلق ، الجميل في الكتاب انه يفند شائعات وخرافات كثيرة حول القلق وجدواه وكيفية التعامل معه
الكتاب جيد وان كانت الاجزاء الاخيرة منه هي الافضل لكن الفصول الاولى مهمة لشرح معنى القلق الاستباقي

[Mikayla Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ish stars

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a completely different approach from anything I have tried before and I think that is why it is working so well.

[Lori Johnstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the book in audio, and was a quick listen, very well organized and sneakily helpful.

[Nichole Underhill · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a person who DEFINITELY suffers from Anticipatory Anxiety, I was initially drawn in by the beginning scenes which described my life exactly. I was excited to hear what strategies I could employ to get some relief.

I was disappointed as I got into the book however by how vague the suggestions were. I understand the authors were suggesting more of a brain rewiring mind shift rather than just giving quick fixes, but it got very repetitive and honestly not very helpful. It basically boiled down to exposure therapy, which is very hard to do for an anxious person.

[Tagwa Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

كتاب جيد يلقي الضوء على تشخيص وكيفية التعرف على القلق الاستباقي "اذا كنت مصابا به ستعرف" وحلول لكيفية معالجته عبر ادراكك له معرفيا وسلوكيا مع خطة لتقليل تأثير القلق على حياتنا عن طريقة تقبله لا مقاومته .

[Ruby Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was easy to read with loads of practical information and advice. It validates the feelings of struggling with Anticipatory Anxiety which is sometimes labeled as "Freeflowing Anxiety." It is something I would recommend to anyone who struggles with anxiety. Love the cover! Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

[إيناس سمير · Rating 3 out of 5]

كشخص يعاني -بالتأكيد- من القلق الاستباقي، انجذبتُ إلى الصفحات الأولى من هذا الكتاب، حيث وجدتُ وصفًا تفصيليًّا لحياتي، وتشابهًا كبيرًا بين المواقف المعروضة والمواقف التي عانيتها إلى حدٍّ صادم!

منهجية الكتاب.. ميزة وعيب

يعتمد الكتاب بشكل أساسي على العلاج السلوكي المعرفي، أو ما يُعرف اختصارًا بـ (CBT)، فيقدم استراتيجيات عملية ومقترحات يمكن تطبيقها في الحياة اليومية، ويشرح مفاهيم معقدة بطريقة مبسطة وواضحة، ويستعين بأمثلة واقعية وتجارب شخصية لتسهيل الفهم.

ومع ذلك قد يكون العلاج السلوكي المعرفي صعبًا للبعض، وليس بسهولة قراءة كتاب عنه، فتطبيق مبادئه يتطلب جهدًا والتزامًا حقيقيين.

أن تنزف قبل الإصابة بجرح

العبارة الأكثر واقعية -وربما أيضًا الأكثر شاعرية- لوصف معاناة القلق الاستباقي. فمن ذا الذي ينزف قبل أن يصاب؟ وإلى أي مرحلة يستمر النزيف؟ وما العلاج؟ تتبادر إلى ذهني الآن النصيحة القديمة للجدَّات «حط بُن على الجرح»!

عشرة فصول.. والكثير من التفاصيل

يعرض الفصلان الأول والثاني مفاهيم القلق الاستباقي والتردد المزمن. وفي الفصل الثالث، يتطرق إلى الأسس البيولوجية للقلق وكيفية تفاعلها مع بعض الضغوطات البيئية. يتناول الفصل الرابع موضوع التجنب -الخفي والواضح، السلوكي والتجريبي، الواعي واللاواعي- ولماذا يفاقم التجنب القلق الاستباقي والتردد المزمن ويعززهما. يشرح الفصل الخامس كيف تتمكن مخيلتك من اختطافك بحيث تصبح تنبؤاتك كارثية ويصبح كل من الاختيار والالتزام مشكلة. ويتناول الفصل السادس العوامل الرئيسية الثلاثة التي تساهم في التردد المزمن: الكمالية، والرغبة في اليقين، والخوف من الندم. يشرح الفصل السابع المنظور ما وراء المعرفي الذي سيؤهلك لتجاوز خيالك المخيف وتفكيرك الكارثي. في الفصل الثامن، ستتعلم كيفية تطبيق التحولات في المنظور والمواقف تجاه مواقف الحياة الواقعية وستتعرف على نموذج (DANCE) أو الخطوات الخمس للاستسلام العلاجي. يجيب الفصل التاسع عن الأسئلة الإشكالية الشائعة التي تظهر عادة في الطريق نحو التعافي. ويصف الفصل العاشر كيف يبدو التعافي وكيف تحافظ عليه.

الصوت القلق.. المواساة الزائفة.. العقل الحكيم

أحد أهم مميزات هذا الكتاب، خلوه من الجمود أو الملل المصاحب عادة لهذه النوعية من الكتب. فينسج لك معركة قضائية تحفز عقلك على تخيُّل محادثاتٍ بين الأطراف الثلاثة على الترتيب: المدعي العام، ومحامي الدفاع، والقاضي.. أو هيئة المحلفين.

ماذا تعلَّمت؟

تعلم��ُ أنَّ أفضل ما يمكنك فعله عند الشعور بالقلق هو أيضًا أحد أصعب الأشياء: ألا تفعل شيئًا. وأنَّ التعافي لا يعني ألا تعاني القلق الاستباقي بعد الآن. التعافي يحدث عندما «تصبح الأعراض غير مهمة».

هامش

برأيي الشخصي تكمن الاستفادة من قراءة هذا الكتاب في تحصيل المعلومات والفهم الواضح لجذور المشكلة (يجدر الإشارة هنا إلى جودة الترجمة التي ساعدت في ذلك أيضًا). لا أنكر الاستفادة، لكن بداخلي شعور خفي بخيبة الأمل فيما يتعلق بالحلول المطروحة.. الأمر ليس بتلك السهولة المنشودة حقًا! أو ربما يمارس عقلي ألاعيبه مجددًا.

آمل -من قلبي- أن يهدأ بال كلِّ من يعاني القلق في هذا العالم.

[Savannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overcoming Anticipatory Anxiety is a well-researched and practical guide on how to move away from crippling anticipatory anxiety. The authors delve into great detail on what exactly anticipatory anxiety is, what the different causes are, and how it can show up in different people. This includes both anxious thinking as well as chronic indecisiveness, both of which are very closely related. After providing the necessary knowledge base, the authors describe how to change your perspective to not let your life be inhibited by anticipatory anxiety.

I found this book incredibly helpful and approachable. I think even if you don't have a background in psychological or therapeutical methodologies, and you're tired of your anticipatory anxiety ruling your life, this book is understandable and provides a practical method on how to life with your anticipatory anxiety, rather than try to 'fix' it or 'remove' it. The first part of the book goes through different examples of anticipatory anxiety and it was really helpful to see myself in the examples, and understand the background as to why and how those thoughts show up. I have always been a very science-minded person, and I think having the first half or so of the book really explaining what is going on in your body (both mentally and physically) when experiencing anticipatory anxiety helped my understanding of myself. The authors make it clear that the goal is not to 'fix' yourself or remove your anxiety, but learn how to shift your perspective so that you can acknowledge the anxieties that you do have, and learn how to not let it control your life. I will be trying to implement this perspective shift and see if it can help me!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Cristian · Rating 2 out of 5]

The subject matter is important, but the presentation is needlessly complicated and lacks the elegance and clarity of a fully-developed theory.

We’re told anticipatory anxiety is “afraid of being afraid of being afraid”, and the authors insist on making distinctions between fear vs. fear of fear vs. 3rd order fear, between avoidance vs. avoiding avoidance, reinforcement vs. negative reinforcement, etc. I found all of these definitions hand-wavy, but most importantly, they don’t seem to increase the clarity and scope of the theory.

Most of all l, I take issue with the core concept - anticipatory anxiety as being clearly distinct from anxiety. I believe all anxiety is future-oriented. Even when the source of anxiety is rooted in the past, we are experiencing anxiety insofar as we believe - perhaps mistakenly - it’s yet unresolved and some actions and lessons are due and relevant for the future. There’s also no clear distinction between anxiety about the present vs. future. e.g., It you’re anxious about a presentation due in 5 minutes, then are you anxious about the “future” or the “present”? How about if it’s due in 1 minute, or in 1 second? When does it transition from anticipatory to non-anticipatory?

The actionable ideas and framework presented in the book are lifted from mindfulness, CBT, and the practice of self-compassion. These are good ideas, great actually, and in my opinion they are better studied independently.

I will however give credit to this book for forcing us to examine anxiety up close, no small feat, with potentially significant benefits for mental health and wellbeing.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is helpful, but way too verbose. It goes unnecessarily deep into all the modes and causes of anticipatory anxiety and the theories behind them. The actual "guide" does not start until about 60% of the book. Imagine you want to see a therapist, and they tell you the first two sessions will be only lectures on the theories behind the methods. You probably want to cancel your appointment and find a different therapist. That's almost what is happening here. While context is important, a better approach would be to either significantly cut down on the details, or introduce the context *while* providing "how-to" guides. The book could be 1/2 - 1/3 in length and be just as effective.

The "DANCE" method is more or less "understand the irrational part of the thoughts, acknowledge that you have these thoughts, don't judge them, and let them pass", which is found in many other books on the subject of anxiety.

The book also weirdly has unique opinion on methods for managing anxiety, e.g. "breathing is not a helpful way to manage a full fledged panic attack". Well, I don't believe this at all, as breathing 100% helped me go through the worst symptoms. Like other self-help books in general, don't take everything in the book, but find out what works best for you, just like what a therapist would do. I doubt there is anything that works on everybody for every situation. You need to experiment and find out what is the most effective thing for *you*.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I generally really love self help books, specifically those with some sort of psychology basis. This one especially seemed interesting to me because I have been dealing with some pretty extreme anxiety and panic over the course of the past year or so, and within reading just a few pages I knew this was going to be a fantastic and impactful read.

The first part of the book explains anticipatory anxiety in detail and the many ways it can manifest in an individual’s life. These are feelings I have been dealing with in some way since I was a little girl, and to have names put to the feelings I felt so crazy for having was really a validating experience for me as a reader.

Chapters 7 and beyond focus on shifting our mindset from trying to stop or control our anxious thoughts, to one of acceptance when these feelings do occur. By allowing these thoughts to happen and naturally pass through the mind, we actually can decrease our overall anxiety and the likelihood that the thoughts will reoccur in the future. I really liked learning about the DANCE strategy for dealing with anticipatory anxiety when it arises, and will absolutely apply it the next time I have these feelings.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the author for my e-copy to read and honestly review!

[Ahmed Gohary · Rating 5 out of 5]

إذا كنت تعاني من القلق الاستباقي وكثرة التفكير قبل أي موقف مهم في حياتك مثل اجتماع مهم، مقابلة عمل، اختبار،التقدم لخطبة او طلب زواج أو حتى عند اتخاذ القرارات المصيرية ، فهذا الكتاب لا يجب أن تفوّت قراءته.

الكتاب مليء بالأمثلة والقصص الواقعية لأشخاص يعانون من القلق، مع شرح مفصل للأسباب العضوية والنفسية وراء هذه الهواجس، بالإضافة إلى طرق عملية للسيطرة عليها. ولو كنت تعتقد أنك تعاني وحدك من القلق في مواقف معينة تراها مقلقة، ستكتشف من خلال هذه القصص أن هواجسك مشتركة مع الكثير من الأشخاص الآخرين.

من أهم الأفكار التي لفتت انتباهي في نهاية الكتاب هي كيفية تحييد وتجاهل صوت القلق وعدم الانسياق وراء المواساة الزائفة. فمحاولة إقناع نفسك بأنه لا داعي للقلق ليست الحل، بل على العكس قد تزيد من توترك وتفتح أمامك مسارات جديدة للانشغال. الحل هو أن تكتفي بسماع صوت القلق والمواساة دون الدخول في جدال أو محاولة إيقافها، وأن تترك الأمور تأخذ مجراها دون هروب أو تجنب كما اعتدت في السابق. كذلك يضم الكتاب فقرة للأسئلة والأجوبة تطرّق فيها المؤلف إلى تساؤلات شائعة قد تدور في ذهنك، وقدم لها إجابات منطقية وعملية.

في النهاية، القلق الاستباقي قادر على أن يدمّر حياتك أو على الأقل يؤخرك كثيرًا في مسارك المهني والشخصي. قراءة هذا الكتاب قد تساعدك على مواجهة المشكلة أو على الأقل تلفت نظرك إليها إذا لم تكن تدرك بعد أنك تعاني منها.

[Zo Smi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to Sally Winston and Martin Seif speaking as guests on several different YouTube channel videos, and they were able to articulate what exactly is going on with anticipatory anxiety so well, that I thought I'd get hold of their books to learn more. I started with this one, which is the third in a "trilogy" of sorts (but which doesn't need to be read in sequence).

Anticipatory anxiety is essentially the fear of fear (re-)arising, which I believe is what a lot of us with anxieties and phobias have. The clarity with which Winston and Seif express this idea is what they do best, and in terms of "treatment," they double down on the ACT approach of facing the fear and riding through the feelings that accompany it as a means to overcoming the fear. Despite the authors getting on somewhat age-wise, they are refreshingly at the forefront of what is understood about anxiety, and that includes the take that many widely promoted coping strategies can make things worse rather than better.

Although there is some repetitiveness on what is presented, I think Winston and Seif's books are essential reading for anyone looking to overcome anxious thoughts and behaviors.

[Martine Francois · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked Overcoming Anticipatory Anxiety by Sally M. Winston and Martin N. Seif as a volume to add to my cart purchases because I have two teenagers that were severely affected by the pandemic since these last two years and mental health is of great concern for us at this time. Upon seeing their anxiety increase exponentially, I thought looking into this book to see if it could help might be a good idea. After reading this I realize a better understanding of the sources and effects of anxiety are key to my being able to help or at least support them. The book made for a very informative read and I will purchase it to give to my eldest at this time. I think that understanding what is happening within oneself when the anxiety attacks come on is key to coping is the best take away from the book. I was not disappointed by this download and gives many tools that would serve an anxiety sufferer to change their relationship with their condition. This review was given on the ARC copy received from the Publisher via NetGalley in return for my opinion.

[joyce w. laudon · Rating 4 out of 5]

CBT is a very popular and effective form of psychological treatment. The author of this title looks at how cognitive behavioral therapy can help anxious people to better cope and understand this (often overwhelming) emotion.

Anticipatory anxiety is discussed in a first chapter that describes this mindset as “bleeding before you are cut.” Readers will sense if this sounds true for them If it does, read on. Learn how indecisiveness and avoidance factor in. Find out more about how perfectionism contributes to the problem. Finally, get some help. I especially liked the chapter titled Common Questions Answered. These feel like situations that readers might wish that they had written to an advice columnist.

One important takeaway from this title is to remember that making change requires time, patience, practice and learning not to be too unforgiving of the human mistakes and emotions that we all feel. I believe that this book will help readers in doing exactly that.

Many thanks to NetGalley and New Harbinger Publications for this title. All opinions are my own.

[Abby (the_rainydayreader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overcoming Anticipatory Anxiety was an easy-to-read, useful self-help book for me. After reading the first chapter I realized that anticipatory anxiety is a specific form of anxiety I experience often. I am glad to have found a book that focuses on this type of anxiety rather than anxiety in general.

The book was a nice short length; the theories/practices mentioned were conveyed in layman's terms and were fairly self explanatory. The formatting of first explaining what kinds of processes are happening in an anxious mind, then addressing how to better deal with anxiety, made sense. I also liked that the authors made use of lists and acronyms to format their main points. Additionally they frequently used dialogue and real-life examples to demonstrate concepts. I especially liked this for learning how to use my "wise mind" to intervene between my "anxious mind" and " false comfort mind".

I am a little confused about why the writers say to not try to soothe anxieties with "comfort thoughts" like "you've done this before. you'll be okay." They even these thoughts "false comforts". Therapists have taught me to use those kind of rationalizations. Maybe the key is not to rely on them but instead change my negative perception of my anxious thoughts? I think it would be good to use "wise mind" with "comfort mind" as a support line.

[Reza Vatankhah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the few books I’ve found specifically written about anticipatory anxiety. The explanations, examples, and the DANCE method introduced to manage this type of anxiety are clear and to the point. However, I felt the examples and chapters were a bit too extensive. This book could have been an excellent handbook if it were condensed to around 60–70 pages. A shorter version would be easier to read, follow, and revisit when needed. Another thing I noticed was the lack of a conclusion, abstract, or summary table at the end that outlines the key problems, summarizes the DANCE method, and highlights other important points. Including something like that would be very helpful, as readers of a CBT guide are usually looking for clear guidelines or solutions rather than just reading and piecing everything together themselves. However, if you want to know about or fix this specific kind of anxiety, give this one a read.

[wonderfullyweird88 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like it says in the title this book is about anticipatory anxiety. This is the fear of something to come and avoiding it. By actually avoiding something, you're not dealing with the fear, you only have a reprieve and the fear will be back and worse than before.

I like the more specific books on anxiety, Anxiety isn't just one size fits all, it occurs because of a multitude of reasons and having a book geared toward your particular form of anxiety is helpful.

This books uses CBT approaches, which is the most common therapy available. It is also the one best suited to self help books. This book is easy to follow and the tips are quite helpful.

If you are effected by anticipatory anxiety I suggest giving this book a read.

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Adrijana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as a psychologist so I’m not sure how a client may perceive this book, but overall, I did not feel that it would be too helpful, the way it is written. Initially goes into a lot of detail which, on the one hand feels excessive (people with anxiety know about their experience of anxiety), and one the other hand, feels inadequate (difficult to wrap my mind about some suggestions that even forgetting about something is a sign of anticipatory anxiety!). I certainly do believe that the ideas they suggest (taking a mindful approach to anxiety) work, I’m just not sure that it was well explained. The use of a difficult-to-remember “DANCE” approach was also not helpful. Only at the very end are some highly important concepts addressed, as frequently asked questions. There are still some good points in here, so not all bad, but not a book I’d want to recommend to a client.