Thinking Traps 99
In certain situations, his anxiety can reach such a level that
he feels as if he might have a panic attack! W hen required to
give a presentation in front of his team members for his job,
he spends days and days worrying about all the things that
could go wrong. There have been times when he became so
sensitive to his emotional arousal and pounding heart that
he experienced a panic attack minutes before having to give
a presentation. Afterward, he spent days ruminating on his
performance and moping about his inability to do
anything.
Robert’s typical style of dealing with negative emotions
contributes to the overall course of his anxiety. For instance,
prior to going to a party, he spends countless hours antici-
pating the horrible things that could happen in this social
situation. His worrying becomes difficult to control, as
certain thoughts persist in his mind. On one hand, this con-
stant form of mental preparation makes Robert feel as if he is
doing something productive that will enable him to better
survive the party, but on the other hand, it reinforces his
belief that the party is a dangerous situation that has social
costs. (This is exactly the kind of future- oriented anxiety
and worry we described in chapter 1.) Moreover, he worries
during the party as well. Being preoccupied throughout the
party with thoughts of what might happen next takes him
away from present- moment interactions and social
exchanges.
Also, Robert feels the need to analyze his “performance”
after the party. He might recall that during one conversation
he was breathing more rapidly than usual. Furthermore, he
considers his accelerated breathing a sign of anxiety and of
his inability to cope with social encounters. Negative inter-
pretations are given to relatively normal occurrences, which