Anticipatory Anxiety
At some point in our lives we have all felt a flicker of anticipation in the run up to a big or small occasion – from pre-wedding jitters, to the worry of a dance or musical recital, to first day nerves of school or the anxiety before a job interview or business presentation.
The physical and emotional feelings we experience in the run up to events and activities that are important to us can help or hinder. The event may be big or small, either way it’s important to us, we want to do our best and that can lead to worry and anxiety. When this happens, homeopathy can help you cope with these feelings so they do not hold us back.
Top remedies to help with the symptoms of Anticipatory Anxiety
Aconite
Feelings of panic come on VERY quickly and are very intense. Anxious thoughts about an upcoming events can be very vivid and stressful leading to thoughts of dying. Think intense panic attacks. All symptoms – physical AND emotional are worse at night, resulting in very disturbed sleep or no sleep at all. Calm and quiet situations help with lots of rest and fresh air. Crowded places are to be avoided.
Ambra Grisea
Those needing this remedy are shy and sensitive and generally quite introverted. They feel their emotions strongly and find it very difficult to express how they feel. So any upcoming situations which require performing or speaking in front of people such as an interview, a talk, oral exam can be incredibly difficult. There will be lots of “nervous” type physical symptoms – dizziness, nausea, coughing fits, digestive issues, loss of appetite – these people will lose weight quickly when anxious. Limbs can become very twitchy at night. These people have been holding it together for so long they no longer can so there are uncharacteristic emotional outbursts.
Arg-Nit
This remedy would be suitable for people who become very agitated and restless before an upcoming event – an exam, interview, performance, important meeting. This can be quite intense with palpitations, trembling and feeling shaky. Restlessness and energy – lots of pacing around, fast walking. The need to move helps to release the nervous energy. This energy extends to the need to talk – ALOT! Lots of chatter about anything and everything, Lots of questions about the upcoming event. “What if…?” questions leading to more worry.
Gelsemium
A great remedy for slow building anxiety. Unlike Arg-Nit, anxiety and fear leads to paralysis – “paralysed” with fear before anything which is seen as an ordeal. – exam, interview, performance, dentist, operation. There will be a slow retreat and a desire to be left alone and remain very quiet. Lots of apathy and exhaustion. It’s all just a bit too much to cope with, so Gelsemium remove themselves from the situation as best they can. During the event there can be lots of trembling and paralysis – lines will be forgotten and an inability to collect thoughts.
Lycopodium
This is the remedy for those who appear cool, calm and collected but underneath this facade there is lots of worry and anxiety. Lots of anxiety around new events and particularly anxiety about public speaking. Moodiness and sometimes rudeness tends to happen as there is difficulty expressing feelings – so you can expect anger and impatient outbursts. To compensate for this there is meticulous preparation beforehand. Once the event is underway it is likely to go very smoothly.
Rebecca contacted me for help with anxiety around an upcoming event – she was giving a presentation at work for the first time and was very worried about it. She had spent a lot of time and energy preparing for the presentation and had slides and handouts ready. Rebecca told me:
“I have spent hours preparing all this material, and I just don’t think it’s right. I will have to do it again. I can’t think about anything else right now.” “I can’t eat, I feel so full up all the time.”
Rebecca took her job very seriously, this presentation was very important to her. I prescribed Lycopodium to take in the days leading up to and on the day of the presentation.
A few days after Rebecca made her presentation she contacted me to let me know all was well.
“I did it! I was nervous but I did it. I didn’t forget what I needed to say and everyone was really impressed with my work. Afterwards my boss congratulated me on my thorough work and told me I looked really calm and confident during the presentation. I know I can do this again, and I don’t need to make so many slides next time!”
There is a remedy for YOU
There are many more homeopathic remedies which can help with anticipatory anxiety, however I find I to turn these remedies the most.
Everybody feels anxiety in different ways and for different reasons
A dentist appointment may not be a problem for some however performing on a stage in front of just 1 person may be a source of great anxiety. Thankfully there are lots of homeopathic remedies so there is going to be one to help you. Calc Carb, Kali Phos, Anacardium, Arsenicum, Silica and Pulsatilla have all come in useful for anticipatory anxiety.
Which remedy?
Selecting the right remedy to help you when you are feeling anxious can be tricky. Anxiety can be all consuming and often we don’t even realise we are feeling anxious – we are in the eye of the storm so to speak and our outlook can be distorted.
If you do know you are feeling anxious take a moment to stop and check in with yourself. Ask yourself “How am I feeling physically AND emotionally?” Jot down the first 3 things which come to mind. Nervous, restless, talkative – check Arg-nit, feeling heavy, drained and wanting to be alone – look at Gelsemium.
OR
Ask a friend or family member for help. If you are helping a friend or child note how their behaviour may have changed.
Children express anxiety differently to adults. It’s not a feeling they may be familiar with but it’s complex and can be tricky to navigate. Maybe your child is troubled about school work or an upcoming test however it is just bubbling away in their mind. You know and they know something isn’t quite right. Look at their behaviour. For example if they are particularly irritable after a sleep. Is there moodiness in the mornings and outbursts of anger. Lycopodium may be a remedy to look into.
Taking the remedy.
- For intense emotional feelings select a 200c potency.
- Take 1 dose (1 pill) and observe the symptoms.
- If the symptoms ease – no more remedy is required.
- If the symptoms change OR no change – observe the new symptoms and select a new remedy.
- Symptoms ease and return – redose the remedy.
Anticipatory anxiety can be intense; you may need to dose more than once – and increase the frequency as the event approaches.
“Anxiety was born in the very same moment as mankind. And since we will never be able to master it, we will have to learn to live with it—just as we have learned to live with storms.”― Paulo Coelho
This is just a small overview of some of the more commonly used homeopathic remedies to help ease anticipatory anxiety.
If you find these remedy snapshots don’t sound like they match your symptoms, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a remedy to help you. There are hundreds of remedies which can help with anticipatory anxiety. You can work with me to find the right remedy for you.
One-off event or ongoing help?
Homeopathic treatment can help you if you have a specific event coming up which is stirring up a lot of anxiety – maybe you don’t let anxiety get the better of you on most occasions. There might be a big life event approaching – a wedding, a big performance, a speech – a one off occasion which you are worried about. You can book an appointment with me for help for a particular event – a one off appointment may be all you need.
“Anxiety’s like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you very far.”― Jodi Picoult
You may notice that anticipatory anxiety is happening more and more and becoming an issue to the point where you are turning invitations down or making decisions based on avoiding public speaking for example. If you are worrying more than you have previously and this is affecting your sleep, and day to day life then book at appointment with me – I can help. Constitutional treatment can support you emotionally and physically to ease your symptoms in the moment and look to address possible reasons why you feel you can’t face certain activities or do certain things.
