Anxiety for Anxiety: Why We Fear Our Own Feelings (And How to Stop)

A holistic guide to healing the cycle of anticipatory anxiety

Last updated: Sep 2025

Personally, I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder at a young age. At the time, I was prescribed antidepressants - and because I didn’t know much about holistic healing, I simply followed my doctor’s advice. My journey with anxiety has been incredibly challenging, but also deeply educational. In fact, I now believe that my lived experience with anxiety is what allows me to support others in such a meaningful way. It has shaped who I am and clarified my purpose: to help others navigate and manage their own experiences with anxiety.

Anxiety is incredibly common. In Australia alone, around 28–29% of people will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives - a number that is likely underestimated.

As a former social worker, now a holistic therapist and mentor - I’ve worked across a range of mental health settings and have witnessed firsthand the impact anxiety can have on individuals. I’ve also observed how traditional services often fall short, especially when it comes to addressing the full person. This realization led me to move away from strictly clinical approaches and toward healing modalities that consider the mind, body, and soul as equally important.

In this article, I’ll explore anxiety, particularly anticipatory anxiety - and the anxiety cycle through a holistic lens. I’ll also share how I approach healing anxiety using both my clinical background and my personal experience.

Understanding Anticipatory Anxiety

The term anticipatory means “before it happens.” Anticipatory anxiety refers to the fear or worry about something negative occurring in the future - even if it hasn’t happened yet. It’s the kind of anxiety that creeps in before a presentation, a difficult conversation, a trip, or even just the idea of being judged.

The cycle of anxiety usually begins with a trigger: a thought, memory, or upcoming event that activates the fear response. From there, anxious thoughts arise - like “Everyone will think I look ridiculous” or “I’m going to mess this up.” Then, physical symptoms often follow: a racing heart, nausea, tightness in the chest, sweating, dizziness, or tension throughout the body.

To escape this discomfort, people often avoid the triggering situation entirely. While avoidance might bring short-term relief, it reinforces the idea that the situation is dangerous. Over time, this can make anxiety worse and limit your life. Your brain learns, “Avoiding helped - I must stay away from that next time too.” This fuels the cycle, often leading to isolation and increased fear.

What Triggers Anticipatory Anxiety?

Many things can spark anticipatory anxiety: upcoming events like tests, interviews, or travel; fear of failure or judgment; waiting for medical or academic results; uncertainty about the future; past negative experiences; or even the discomfort of stepping outside your comfort zone. The common thread is fear of the unknown and the stories our minds create about what might go wrong.

Why Traditional Approaches Aren’t Always Enough 

There’s no doubt that medication and clinical interventions can be helpful, especially in the short term or in severe cases. However, they often don’t address the root cause of anxiety.

Traditional therapy tends to focus on managing external behaviors or symptoms. Techniques like exposure therapy, exercises, and cognitive interventions can be useful - but many people still feel like something is missing. That “missing piece” is often the deeper, inner work that considers the emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects of healing.

A Holistic Approach to Healing Anxiety

A truly holistic approach addresses the mind, body, and soul - acknowledging that anxiety is not just mental, but a whole-body experience.

From a mental perspective, healing involves reshaping your thoughts through cognitive-behavioral strategies. This includes exploring your past and identifying patterns that may be contributing to your anxiety today. By reframing negative self-talk and limiting beliefs, you can begin to build inner safety and self-trust.

From a physical perspective, we must remember that the body often holds onto stress and trauma. Breathwork, mindful movement, and somatic practices are powerful tools for releasing that tension. Even simple mindfulness exercises can retrain your brain to disengage from anxious thought loops. Nutrition, sleep, and physical health also play a crucial role - what we put into our bodies deeply affects how our minds function.

On a soul level, spiritual practices can bring grounding and a sense of connection. Whether it’s energy healing (like Reiki), visualizations, journaling, or spending time in nature, these practices help reconnect you to a deeper, more intuitive part of yourself. They offer meaning and purpose in times of fear, and create space for inner peace.

The Whole-Person Impact of Anxiety

Anxiety doesn’t just live in the mind, it shows up in every part of our being. Physically, it can manifest as muscle tension, digestive issues, headaches, fatigue, hormonal imbalances, and sleep problems. Sometimes, the body feels anxiety before we’re even consciously aware of it.

Mentally, anxiety can cause repetitive or catastrophic thinking, difficulty concentrating, harsh self-judgment, and a constant fear of uncertainty. It drains our cognitive energy, leaving us mentally exhausted and emotionally overwhelmed.

Spiritually, anxiety can create a sense of disconnection, from ourselves, from others, or from any sense of higher purpose. You may feel blocked energetically, lose faith in yourself, or find yourself riddled with fear.

Relationally, anxiety influences how we connect with others. It may lead to people-pleasing, avoiding social situations, difficulty asserting boundaries, or interpreting interactions through a negative lens. You might feel lonely, even when surrounded by people - because of the mental and emotional barriers anxiety creates.

My Holistic Practices for Clients (and Myself)

The practices I use with clients are the same ones I’ve used in my own healing. They draw from both clinical and spiritual aspects, and I’ve seen them make a powerful difference.

Mindfulness and present-moment awareness help break the cycle of anxious thinking. Guided meditations, breathing techniques, and visualizations create space between thoughts and reactions.

Body-based practices like grounding, somatic movement, and breathwork reconnect you to the present and regulate the nervous system. I’ve practiced these techniques for years, and I often teach them to clients as part of their daily toolkit.

Energy Healing Practices like Reiki work to release blocked emotional energy and help restore balance within your body’s energy system. By gently shifting stagnant energy, these methods support overall healing and wellbeing.

Sound Healing Sound plays a vital role in holistic healing. Instruments such as crystal singing bowls produce vibrations that resonate with your body’s energy centers. These sounds help clear energetic blockages, soothe the nervous system, and encourage deep emotional release and realignment.

Cognitive reframing trauma-informed CBT, helps change the stories we tell ourselves. We work to develop more empowering beliefs and emotional responses, gently and compassionately.

Tools You Can Start Using Today

Here are a few practices you can try right now to begin calming your system:

• Box Breathing: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold again for 4. Repeat several times to regulate your nervous system.
• Visualisation: Imagine a protective bubble or shield surrounding your entire body. This is your personal boundary—safe, strong, and impenetrable. Only positive energy can enter, and anything that doesn’t serve you is gently kept out."
• Grounding Exercise: Place both feet firmly on the floor. Notice five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can touch, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. This brings you back into the present moment.
• Journaling Prompt: Ask yourself, “What does my anxiety want me to know?” Let your thoughts flow without judgment.
• Mindful Walking: Take a short walk outdoors and focus your attention on the sensations of walking - your breath, your footsteps, the air around you.

When to Seek Support

If anxiety is beginning to interfere with your daily life, causing panic attacks, or making it difficult to function, it’s time to seek extra support. Holistic counseling, especially from someone who understands anxiety both professionally and personally, can be a powerful ally on your healing journey.

Therapy doesn't replace self-help; it enhances it. Together, clinical tools and holistic practices create a personalized, compassionate approach to healing.

Healing from anxiety is possible. Your experiences are valid, and you are not alone. Be gentle with yourself along the way. Anxiety pulls us into worrying about the future and the unknown, but healing brings us back to the now.

With the right tools, support, and self-understanding, you can break free from the anxiety cycle and reclaim your peace.

This article was written by one of our trusted practitioners on Bodhi Holistic Hub. All practitioners are carefully vetted according to our Vetting Process, and all content follows our Editorial Policy.

The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical condition or before starting any new health practice.