Anxiety Quote by Sally M. Winston
““You say to yourself, I can’t back out of this. I will just HAVE to do it. No matter how awful I feel, I’m gonna get through this. This is going to be terrible. Unfortunately, most of the time, this is a formula for ensuring that anticipatory anxiety wins the battle. One of two things will happen. Either, as you get closer to the actual event, your anxiety skyrockets, and you decide to cancel anyway. Or, you do go, but your experience leading up to the event is such an ordeal that, no matter how it goes or how you do, the misery of anticipation becomes vividly embedded in your memory. And your experience of anticipatory anxiety usurps the memory of the actual event, so you feel no better the next time.””
About This Quote
Source Self‑help article or blog post, unknown source
Describes how anticipatory anxiety can dominate memory and worsen outcomes.
In simple terms: Anxiety about events can outweigh the events themselves.
Key Takeaway
Manage anxiety before events.
Themes
anxiety
anticipation
mental health
Mood
anxious
reflective
Type
advice
analysis
When to use this quote
- public speaking
- exams
- medical procedures
Key Concepts
psychology of fear
cognitive bias
Questions to Reflect On
- What techniques reduce anticipatory anxiety?
- How does memory of anxiety affect future actions?
A Different Perspective
Anxiety may be unavoidable in some high‑stakes situations.
