--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Waiting for something horrible to happen…" description: "\"“Waiting for something horrible to happen is almost more draining than it actually happening.”\" — Erin Kelly" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00e/erin-kelly-28365_quote_waiting-for-something-horrible-to-happen_2040586.jpg" --- # Waiting for something horrible to happen is almost more… ![“Waiting for something horrible to happen is almost more draining than it actually happening.” quote by Erin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00e/erin-kelly-28365_quote_waiting-for-something-horrible-to-happen_2040586.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00e/erin-kelly-28365_quote_waiting-for-something-horrible-to-happen_2040586.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00e/erin-kelly-28365_quote_waiting-for-something-horrible-to-happen_2040586.jpg) > ““Waiting for something horrible to happen is almost more draining than it actually happening.”” [Erin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kelly/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes anticipatory anxiety as more exhausting than the actual event, highlighting the mental toll of dread. **In simple terms:** Worrying about bad things can be more draining than the things themselves. Key Takeaway Limit excessive worry. Themes anxiety anticipation mental health stress management psychology Mood concerned thoughtful Type psychological advice When to use this quote - pre‑event anxiety - health scares - financial worries - relationship doubts - career uncertainty Key Concepts Catastrophic thinking emotional regulation mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What fears are you amplifying? - How can you reduce anticipatory stress? 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You have to sit in the pocket of that character for the duration of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/to-play-these-twisted-tormented-characters-is-very-draining-you-have/) [Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/) > [Just emotionally, as amazing as it is to win the World Cup, it's emotionally draining in many ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-rapinoe/just-emotionally-as-amazing-as-it-is-to-win-the-world-cup-it-s/) [Megan Rapinoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-rapinoe/) > [Nothing can prepare you for living or working with a sociopathic serial bully. It is the most devastating, draining, misunderstood, and ultimately futile experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-field/nothing-can-prepare-you-for-living-or-working-with-a-sociopathic/) [Tim Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-field/) > [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## More by Erin Kelly > [“If I waited for a proper occasion to dress up, I'd never wear half of these clothes. Put on the clothes and you make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kelly/if-i-waited-for-a-proper-occasion-to-dress-up-i-d-never-wear-half-of/) [Erin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kelly/) > [“When anxiety wins, the mad part of me peels away from the rational one. My”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kelly/when-anxiety-wins-the-mad-part-of-me-peels-away-from-the-rational-one/) [Erin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kelly/) > [“Leibniz said, Music is the mind counting without being conscious it’s counting. An eclipse is maths; it’s the most beautiful maths there is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kelly/leibniz-said-music-is-the-mind-counting-without-being-conscious-it-s/) [Erin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kelly/) > [“that's the thing with secrets. They're leaky; you can't decide to share the bits that suit you without a million questions oozing out. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kelly/that-s-the-thing-with-secrets-they-re-leaky-you-can-t-decide-to-share/) [Erin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kelly/) > [“but there is something of her in me; I feel it, behind my ribs. I like to think of it as all the love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kelly/but-there-is-something-of-her-in-me-i-feel-it-behind-my-ribs-i-like/) [Erin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kelly/) > [A good mother loves fiercely but ultimately brings up her children to thrive without her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kelly/a-good-mother-loves-fiercely-but-ultimately-brings-up-her-children-to/) [Erin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kelly/) > [“The stress hormones of adrenaline and cortisol, when pumped in sufficient quantity, rival anything you can smoke or swallow. Within a year of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kelly/the-stress-hormones-of-adrenaline-and-cortisol-when-pumped-in/) [Erin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kelly/) > [“The moment you think about an act in terms of how, you are already halfway to doing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kelly/the-moment-you-think-about-an-act-in-terms-of-how-you-are-already/) [Erin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kelly/) > [“It’s Hardy’s idea of hell – fresh air, isolation, grass, never-ending sky – but he knows that the world’s full of idiots who love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kelly/it-s-hardy-s-idea-of-hell-fresh-air-isolation-grass-never-ending-sky/) [Erin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kelly/) > [“Don’t you think it’s more important how you treat the person next to you?’ I asked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kelly/don-t-you-think-it-s-more-important-how-you-treat-the-person-next-to/) [Erin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kelly/) > [“If revenge is a dish best served cold, confession should be dished up piping hot or not at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kelly/if-revenge-is-a-dish-best-served-cold-confession-should-be-dished-up/) [Erin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kelly/) > [“I know from my own counselling that anger always has hurt at its core.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kelly/i-know-from-my-own-counselling-that-anger-always-has-hurt-at-its-core/) [Erin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kelly/) > [“When you only have one vanity, I think you’re allowed to indulge it.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kelly/when-you-only-have-one-vanity-i-think-you-re-allowed-to-indulge-it/) [Erin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kelly/) > [A good mother loves fiercely but ultimately brings up her children to thrive without her. They must be the most important thing in her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kelly/a-good-mother-loves-fiercely-but-ultimately-brings-up-her-children-to-2/) [Erin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kelly/) > [“Grief is like a splinter deep into every fingertip; to touch anything is torture.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kelly/grief-is-like-a-splinter-deep-into-every-fingertip-to-touch-anything/) [Erin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kelly/) [Explore all 19 Erin Kelly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kelly/) ## More Draining quotes > [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Nothing can prepare you for living or working with a sociopathic serial bully. It is the most devastating, draining, misunderstood, and ultimately futile experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-field/nothing-can-prepare-you-for-living-or-working-with-a-sociopathic/) [Tim Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-field/) > [Just emotionally, as amazing as it is to win the World Cup, it's emotionally draining in many ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-rapinoe/just-emotionally-as-amazing-as-it-is-to-win-the-world-cup-it-s/) [Megan Rapinoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-rapinoe/) > [To play these twisted, tormented characters is very draining. You have to sit in the pocket of that character for the duration of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/to-play-these-twisted-tormented-characters-is-very-draining-you-have/) [Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/) > [Action films are emotionally and physically draining, and you're dirty and sweaty. In a romantic comedy, you have to have your fingernails perfect, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-chestnut/action-films-are-emotionally-and-physically-draining-and-you-re-dirty/) [Morris Chestnut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-chestnut/) > [There is no worse situation to be in than Oscar night. Not knowing whether you've won is completely draining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/there-is-no-worse-situation-to-be-in-than-oscar-night-not-knowing/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [To me, draining the swamp means draining it of pandering and opportunism and filling it in with the fertile soil of freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-cawthorn/to-me-draining-the-swamp-means-draining-it-of-pandering-and/) [Madison Cawthorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-cawthorn/) > [Each and every incomplete thing in your life or work exerts a draining force on you, sucking the energy of accomplishment and success out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-olson/each-and-every-incomplete-thing-in-your-life-or-work-exerts-a/) [Jeff Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-olson/) > [When I play a villain, I usually get home and sleep straight through the night. It's physically and emotionally draining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-layevska/when-i-play-a-villain-i-usually-get-home-and-sleep-straight-through/) [Ana Layevska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-layevska/) > [The 'Manipulator' record was really fun to do. It was far less heavy and draining, in an emotional way. It was just like making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-segall/the-manipulator-record-was-really-fun-to-do-it-was-far-less-heavy-and/) [Ty Segall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ty-segall/) > [The wind, as a direct motive power, is wholly inapplicable to a system of machine labour, for during a calm season the whole business…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stanley-jevons/the-wind-as-a-direct-motive-power-is-wholly-inapplicable-to-a-system/) [William Stanley Jevons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stanley-jevons/) > [Humanity cannot afford to acknowledge all of the blood that it spills and the destruction it inflicts on the world in its effort to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-rifkin/humanity-cannot-afford-to-acknowledge-all-of-the-blood-that-it-spills/) [Jeremy Rifkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-rifkin/) > [The signs of psychic draining - we call aging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-signs-of-psychic-draining-we-call-aging/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [It has nothing to do with the emotional demands of a role; I've done comedies that are as draining to me as any drama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/it-has-nothing-to-do-with-the-emotional-demands-of-a-role-i-ve-done/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [Having been an oncologist and having cared for scores, if not hundreds, of dying patients, when you don't have a treatment that can shrink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezekiel-emanuel/having-been-an-oncologist-and-having-cared-for-scores-if-not-hundreds/) [Ezekiel Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-emanuel/) [Browse all 134 Draining quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/draining/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Waiting for something horrible to happen is almost more draining than it actually happening.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Erin Kelly" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kelly/waiting-for-something-horrible-to-happen-is-almost-more-draining-than/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Draining" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kelly/waiting-for-something-horrible-to-happen-is-almost-more-draining-than/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00e/erin-kelly-28365_quote_waiting-for-something-horrible-to-happen_2040586.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00e/erin-kelly-28365_quote_waiting-for-something-horrible-to-happen_2040586.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00e/erin-kelly-28365_quote_waiting-for-something-horrible-to-happen_2040586.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Waiting for something horrible to happen is almost more draining than it actually happening.” — Erin Kelly", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Erin Kelly", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kelly/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Waiting for something horrible to happen...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kelly/waiting-for-something-horrible-to-happen-is-almost-more-draining-than/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kelly/waiting-for-something-horrible-to-happen-is-almost-more-draining-than/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```