# Bonus Episode: What Is Anticipatory Anxiety (And Why It's Often Worse Than the Thing Itself)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/your-anxiety-toolkit-practical-skills-for-anxiety-panic-depression-440514/bonus-episode-what-is-anticipatory-anxiety-and-why-it-s-often-worse-than-the-thing-itself
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/your-anxiety-toolkit-practical-skills-for-anxiety-panic-depression-440514/bonus-episode-what-is-anticipatory-anxiety-and-why-it-s-often-worse-than-the-thing-itself.md
Podcast: [Your Anxiety Toolkit - Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & Depression](https://stenobird.com/podcast/your-anxiety-toolkit-practical-skills-for-anxiety-panic-depression-440514)
Published: 2026-05-01T11:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://kimberleyquinlan.libsyn.com/bonus-episode-what-is-anticipatory-anxiety-and-why-its-often-worse-than-the-thing-itself
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/kimberleyquinlan/Final-Audio.mp3?dest-id=367887
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/your-anxiety-toolkit-practical-skills-for-anxiety-panic-depression-440514/episodes/bonus-episode-what-is-anticipatory-anxiety-and-why-it-s-often-worse-than-the-thing-itself
Duration seconds: 926

## Resource

In this episode, I talk about anticipatory anxiety, the intense fear or dread that shows up before something even happens. So often, the waiting, imagining, and "what if" spiral can feel worse than the actual event itself. I explain how this happens and why your brain reacts so strongly, even when there isn't a real threat in front of you.

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## Transcript

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