Dr. John Denniel
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Future Fear: Directed by Ken May. With Eric Reingrover, Kaylith Von Kola, Scott Alan Richards, Monnie Aleahmad. In a distant future, an archaeologist must use ancient technology in hopes of finding a way to fight back an army of alien attackers and escape the planet.
- (138)
- Horror, Sci-Fi
- Ken May
- 2021-06-08
- Overview
- What Anticipatory Fear Might Look Like
- Ways to Fight Anticipatory Fear
- A Word From Verywell
As the world works to come out of a global pandemic, it's understandable if your fear of the future has reached an all-time high. That said, if you're starting to find that it's impacting your ability to make decisions or impacting you daily, it may be time to seek help.
To learn more, we spoke with Frank Anderson, MD, a psychiatrist and psychotherapist who specializes in trauma treatment.
"Dreading the future, or more commonly known as anticipatory fear, is quite common and can be quite debilitating in extreme cases," says Anderson. "People struggle with anticipatory fear when they worry about the outcome of a future event they have never experienced before."
Anticipatory fear can also be linked to the intolerance of uncertainty, which can lead to indecisiveness when it comes to large and small decisions, as well as an increased likelihood of constant comparison. The intolerance of uncertainty can lead to anticipatory fear, as it causes people to continually overthink the possible outcomes of their decisions.
Avoiding Prior Painful Experiences
This is a common reason why people may experience anticipatory fear. Past negative experiences can make people feel worried that the same series of events will line up allowing the past to recreate itself.
Frank Anderson, MD
When the anticipatory fear is rooted in a past event or experience, it is often associated with dread, which can be physiologically intense and frequently associated with something ominous or traumatic in nature. Some form of trauma is often at the root of a dread response. — Frank Anderson, MD While it's important to learn from past experiences to a certain degree, it's also important to remember that situations can change for the better.
Protective Responses
Of course, nerves and anticipation that stem from past experiences are really just your brain's way of trying to protect you. One study that followed foreign exchange students during their first semester abroad found that moderate levels of anticipatory fear were associated with higher levels of adaptive outcomes in students. That said, if you're experiencing high levels of anticipatory fear, protective responses can lead to being unable to think clearly, being afraid to leave the house, or even being afraid of most social interactions. This is when it's time to seek out help from a licensed therapist.
Practice Mindfulness
Research has shown that mindfulness can improve emotion regulation, which is incredibly helpful in reducing stress. It has also been shown to improve present-moment awareness, which is particularly important for people who worry about future events. Research even found that mindfulness can potentially alter parts of the brain to help improve self-awareness over time.
Repeat Mantras
While Anderson notes that mantras are short-term fixes that aren't associated with permanent relief, he says that they can "help mitigate the anticipatory fear response." You can repeat things like: "I am safe." "Nothing bad will happen to me." "Everything will be OK." Anderson notes that saying things like this to yourself can be helpful as your search for a long-term solution.
Exercise
Exercising, especially trying new forms of exercise or exercises that also incorporate mindfulness like yoga, can help keep you in the present moment. This way you are forced to think about the task at hand rather than worry about the future.
It is completely normal to fear the future, but definitely take note if your fears are starting to take up a lot of your mental space. It's also important to notice if your actions are being impacted by your concerns. That said, hopefully, you can rest a little easier knowing that there are ways to get help and to move past these fears.
4 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
1.A. Kuiper, N., & Butzer, B. (2006). Relationships between the frequency of social comparisons and self-concept clarity, intolerance of uncertainty, anxiety, and depression. Personality and Individual Differences, 41(1), 167–176.
2.Chiu, M. L. (1995). The influence of anticipatory fear on foreign student adjustment: An exploratory study. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 19(1), 1–44.
3.Neumark-Sztainer, D. (1995). Excessive Weight Preoccupation Normative but Not Harmless. Nutrition Today, 30(2), 68–74.
Mar 17, 2020 · Anticipatory anxiety describes fear and worry around bad things that could happen. It can happen in a lot of different contexts, but it commonly focuses on things you can’t predict or control.
- Crystal Raypole
Future Fear is a 1998 American science fiction film directed by Lewis Baumander. The film stars Jeff Wincott as Dr. John Denniel, a geneticist who has found a cure to an extraterrestrial virus that threatens to kill everyone on earth.
Sep 21, 2020 · Worry is a feeling whose source almost always lies in the future. It often exposes fears of not achieving or experiencing longed-for hopes and dreams.
Feb 19, 2019 · The real problem with the future isn’t the prospect of climate change, or war, or unemployment, or any of the other daunting challenges young people currently face. There have always been ...
Aug 26, 2024 · While it’s natural to feel some level of fear or apprehension about the future, it’s important not to let that fear consume or paralyze you. Instead, view the future as an opportunity for growth, learning, and personal development.
