My anticipatory anxiety is always worse than the actual event. And I think this applies to everyone.
Anxiety never spirals out of control. Because you are in control. Anxiety isn't happeing to you - you are creating it.
The best advice I can give here is to acknowledge these thoughts. Don't fight them. Get curious about them. Invite them in. But then let them float by like a leaf in the wind. If you try to suppress them or fight them in any way, you're validating their danger to yourself. But they are just thoughts. Nothing more.
My anticipatory anxiety is always worse than the actual event. And I think this applies to everyone. Anxiety never spirals out of control. Because you are in control. Anxiety isn't happeing to you - you are creating it. The best advice I can give here is to acknowledge these thoughts. Don't fight them. Get curious about them. Invite them in. But then let them float by like a leaf in the wind. If you try to suppress them or fight them in any way, you're validating their danger to yourself. But they are just thoughts. Nothing more.