During those sleepless nights, feelings of anxiety about the future might creep into your mind.
How will your big presentation at work tomorrow go down? Is your partner actually in love with you or just settling? What if an earthquake hits right now?
As unlikely as these events sound, it is common for us to feel some level of concern about our future. Despite our fears of the unknown, it’s important to try to plan for our future even if it feels like making shots in the dark. But for some, even thinking about what is going to happen can create excessive or debilitating levels of worry that focuses only on negative outcomes.
Why Do I Feel So Anxious About The Future?
Thinking about the future is something that everyone does. It helps us to anticipate and plan for upcoming events, and is helpful for determining what you should work towards.
But for some people, the future is a terrifying thought. With the way the world is constantly changing, as conflict and climate change looms over us, and uncertainty follows every step forward, it is not hard to sympathise with them.
Is it worth making plans when you are not even sure if the world will exist in 5 years? What if an earthquake strikes when you go to meet someone? What happens to my LaBuBu when I die? These questions, while unusual, may plague you from time to time.
However, these kinds of apocalyptic thoughts can envelop some individuals. This can lead to an intense fear of the future, causing severe feelings of anxiety and dread of the unknown.
Identifying Anticipatory Anxiety
Anxiety disorders are some of the most common mental health conditions seen around the world. It is an umbrella term for a variety of disorders, with some of the more recognisable ones being social anxiety disorder or generalised anxiety disorder.
Dr Lee Xin Er, Psychiatrist at Private Space Medical, shared more about the disorder:
“According to the Singapore Mental Health Study (2016), about one in seven Singaporeans will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime, with depression/anxiety disorders among the most common. More recently, the National Youth Mental Health Study (2024) similarly found that nearly one in three young people aged 15 to 35 experienced severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, or stress.”
She also shared that while it is normal to experience feelings of anxiety, it can easily become a problem when it escalates into feelings of distress or dysfunction. For individuals who experience anticipatory anxiety, this is especially important.
While anticipatory anxiety is not a specific type of anxiety disorder, but rather a symptom of other anxiety disorders, it should be treated seriously all the same.
It is closely linked to having an excessive amount of worry for the future, which tends to focus on negative outcomes. This can make planning for upcoming events a nightmare, and can force individuals to spend long periods of time dwelling on worst-case scenarios.
What Anticipatory Anxiety Feels Like
Anticipatory anxiety is usually experienced along with other anxiety symptoms, and thus it may differ from person to person.
Some common symptoms can include difficulty concentrating, loss of interest in your usual hobbies, or restlessness and irritability. It can also look like increasing feelings of frustration and hopelessness, as you hyper-focus on these potential unwanted outcomes.
As these feelings build up, individuals may also experience physical symptoms like a racing heartbeat or an upset stomach.
Can You Diagnose Anxiety About the Future?
As it is a symptom of other forms of anxiety, it is not possible to get a standalone mental health diagnosis for anticipatory anxiety. However, healthcare professionals like psychiatrists or psychologists can help.
Following a psychological evaluation, they will be able to diagnose you with the appropriate mental health condition.
Living Well With Anticipatory Anxiety
Fortunately, anticipatory anxiety, as well as anxiety disorders in general, is highly treatable. Depending on personal preference, individuals can turn to healthy coping mechanisms or professional treatment for their mental health condition.
Coping Mechanisms
There are various ways to help break the loop of feeling anxiety about the future.
It can be helpful to start by taking care of your basic needs, in order to make sure that both your body and your mind are doing well. Making sure to get enough sleep, to eat regular meals, and to get some exercise can do wonders. Once your basic needs are met, you may find that your feelings of doom and distress start to ease.
Some have also found that mindfulness and grounding exercises have helped greatly to calm feelings of anxiety. Mindfulness is the act of paying attention to what is happening in the present. This can help to calm future-related catastrophising, as it encourages you to focus on what is happening in the moment. Grounding exercises like deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation can also help to reduce your anxiety.
Professional Treatment
If you have tried every coping strategy in the book but are still dreading the future, it may be time to seek professional help.
Seeing a therapist can help you to pin down the main source of stress in your life. They can also help you to address the possible causes of your anticipatory anxiety. Over the course of your treatment, they may also recommend specific types of therapy depending on your own circumstances. Alternatively, you may also be prescribed medications to promote relaxation and calm.
Either way, there is no shame in seeking professional help for your anxiety. As Ms Siti Mariam, Principal Therapist at Private Space Medical, puts it:
“I’ve often used the analogy of athletes having sports psychologists to help them improve their performance. You should see getting professional help as helping to improve our daily functioning, and not just as an option where only the very sick require it.”
This article is part of a special mental wellness series leading up to the IHH-Singapore Sea Regatta 2025, happening on 13 and 14 September 2025 at The Promontory @ Marina Bay. This year’s theme focuses on mental wellness – join us for two days of boating, conversations, and community around building healthier minds and stronger futures. Find out more here.
