Anxiety and planning

Ok , there are two ways to look at this , at least from my perspective . As an anxiety sufferer I love to plan , I also hate to plan …go figure !

I know there is a lot of stuff about anxiety on the web , I do however feel that my thoughts are different in one area … I unfortunately suffer from anxiety and it’s not until you have it that you really know how others truly feel. Im not talking about a touch of anxiety or a short term dance with anxiety. Im talking about a life long struggle and however others might feel they understand , they really don’t.

Planning is one of those things that non sufferers just don’t get , they don’t realise what a big thing it is for us or that planning works both ways for us , we hate to do it and we also have to do it . In my posts I try to concentrate on areas that other sites don’t cover , I try to see things from our point of view .

Firstly let’s look at how planning is problematic for us . Animals generally don’t plan , they don’t in general anticipate , a buffalo on a migration doesn’t pack essentials , pop a toothbrush into a bag and check out the A to Z buffalo migration map app , looking for a stop over at a nice waterhole service station . They live in the moment , they are now rather than later , they are governed by instincts and not by planning.

Very well mind , a mental health website published an article by Lisa Fisher ( medically reviewed by Daniel Block MD ) on the 12th December . They looked at planning and anxious people , describing problems in looking forward to events as Anticipatory Anxiety as apposed to Phasic Fear ( lasting a short time and is more a reaction to a predictable threat). Anticipatory fear can be life-limiting and lead to avoiding events . Medical news today , describes this type of fear as involving situations such as a scheduled event , a new job , a loss of a loved one , a date or a social event .

There has been some research into this type of fear , to me this is quite a normal extension to anxiety , if I know that Im likely to be put into a situation that makes me anxious , or a situation I cannot control then I will not really want to think about it , let alone plan . Nature.com published an excellent article in 2013 by Grupe et al ) titled ‘Uncertainty and anticipation in anxiety ‘. This paper proposed a new model ‘ the Uncertainty and anticipation model of anxiety’ This model involves five processes ( none of these will come as a surprise to us anxiety sufferers) . These are The inflated estimates of threat and probability , increased threat attendance ( hyper vigilance ) , deficient safety learning , behavioural and cognitive avoidance and heightened reactivity to threat uncertainty. The paper blames the anterior mid-cingulate cortex ( involved in higher level brain functions), connected to.. just one example , the amygdala, which shows abnormal function . The paper point out that elevated threat expectancies naturally lead to avoiding situations , but this leads to an individual not accumulating evidence of safety , proving their anxious thought wrong.

So , I hate to think about the event , I cannot plan as Im trying not to think about it , therefore I look to ways I can avoid it , this however is the worst thing I can do as I do not provide my brain with evidence that it was in fact safe and I was wrong , but this is easier said than done!….I need another Latte ….a strong one please !

The journal of Neuroscience published a large article in October 2020 by Hur, Smith , DeYoung ,Anderson , Kuang et al . ( Anxiety and the Neurobiology of Temporally Uncertain Threat Anticipation).The paper used FRMI signals of 99 men and women , selected from 6594 adults . Their aim was to identify a core circuit that is involved in uncertain and certain threat anticipation, to further build upon the work of Grupe et al . The results are very complex , much too complex for those not with advanced degrees in the subject ( taking about me, I don’t have one!). However it found that the neural circuits that deal with uncertain and certain threat are actually the same when viewed through an fMRI . The front of the brain is busier during anticipated threat and the Amygdala is busier when actual threat is noticed, I think thats what we might expect.

In 2016 the journal of Experimental Psychopathology published some research by Brady Nelson et al ( https://doi.org/10.5127/jep.048115 ) . It was mainly looking at the startle reflex and anticipation of an Unpredictable threat . The startle threat ( I have a post on this ) is a reflex is modulated by the autonomic nervous system . It might come into action is you see a snake , its a rapid activation of a defensive stance , its very normal , however those with anxiety disorders might suffer from an overactive startle response.

Nelson et al , is interesting for us as it looks at the possibility of the startle response being activated when there is an unpredictable threat , for me this might mean the worry connected with planning or thinking about planning. The findings of Nelson et al , did indeed find that anxiety sufferers had an intolerance to uncertainty and that this was associated with the startle response . An example might be chatting with a group of friends , they make plans involving something you try to avoid and from no-where , you feel anxious , panicked at the prospect , its an uncertain threat , but not for your startle response , its now activated , yet there is no immediate threat .

I think that all this proves that anxiety is bound to have an impact on planning or at least the avoidance of planning . If we are anxious about something , we like to avoid it , that will involve avoiding thinking about it as well

Planning and positive effects on Anxiety

Planning is not all bad , as I said when I started , I hate planning , but I also love to plan ….Im just strange !

If we’re going on a trip , it makes me feel better if I can plan what’s going to happen . I will look at the route , avoid any motorways or very large bridges . If Im going to do an activity , I like to know what’s going to happen and how . I should make this clear , this is not me , this is not who I really am . Id love nothing better than to buy a van and travel all across Europe , not planning just going . I would like nothing more than to do new things , my problem is that I’m not in the driving seat , my anxiety is . I know that doing this research I have discovered that there is a biological reason for this , I realise the false logic , but my brain reacts faster and stronger than I can counter with reason . Somehow I have to teach my Brian that it’s wrong , but as you all know , that is easy to say , easy to talk about , but much harder in real life to actually do .

Planning obviously gives us a sense of control and therefore reduces anxiety about the event . It can as a side effect help us in other not so obvious ways . Planning can help us to sleep better as we will worry less and may benefit from deeper sleep ( NHS borders ) .Those who plan tend to eat better , recipes can be sought , items bought in advance and therefore fast or pre-packed food is more likely to be avoided, ( ok Ive used myself as an example here , but I feel it relates to us all , but you will find this quoted in Shape magazine April 2022).

Phycology today says ” Worrying is frustrated planning . The antidote to worry is action ” ( Frederic Newman MD December 4 2016). ” No matter how out of control a situation may seem to be , worrying about it can be dispelled by developing at plan of action”.

I started this post really concentration on planning events , outings , travelling , things that make us anxious , things we put off planning as we don’t want to think about them , if you are anxious then you know what I mean . However we could also describe this as organisation , it goes back to an old post of mine about being organised and clutter free , that also helps with anxiety . If I had to round up that post it was to be organised , be clutter free , be a sort of minimalist just keep the unimportant out of your mind and replace it with calm . Planning is the same sort of thing , just on a bigger scale , keep your mind clear of worry by planning , if you can it may give you back a sense of control . I have said before , for me I can sum my anxiety up in two words …control and escape , so planning would help me.

It’s hard to talk about planning without mentioning a planner , Ive covered these before , they are laborious to start , hard to keep going , boring ….but they do help . The world wide wait ( Internet ) is full of people trying to sell you anxiety planners , if you feel that they are for you …then look up a few reviews and buy one , you might feel able to do a daily mood log , I don’t ! .

I think however that just a cheap blank book for you to write down your plans , perhaps have sections for planning bigger events and try to spend a limited time on planning , then once the book is shut , shut out the thoughts that go with it , until you schedule another time slot with your planner.

Planning does seem to be a good idea , as Ive said before , Im taking about trying not to avoid planning major events , putting off planning , making excuses. Organisation , clutter , journals and to do lists could also fit into this category , but Ive decided to leave them on the back burner for this one .

Its clear that planning wins outright versus avoidance , if you can make time to plan you might find it helps ease some anxiety and that can only be a good thing.

Thank you for spending time with me , I hope as always I find you in a good place , if not remember you are not alone and if you feel you can and have the means reach out to a medical professional fully trained in Trauma or Anxiety .