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Dread
You feel a heavy, dark anticipation of something bad coming — even if you can't name exactly what. Dread is like anxiety's slow-burn cousin. It's that pit in your stomach that sits there for hours, days, or even weeks. It's the Sunday scaries on steroids.
What does dread feel like in your body?
- •A heavy, sinking feeling in your stomach
- •Low-grade nausea that won't go away
- •Feeling exhausted even though you haven't done anything
- •A dark cloud feeling hanging over everything
Common triggers
- •Sunday nights before a work or school week you hate
- •Knowing a difficult conversation or confrontation is coming
- •Waking up with that 'something bad is going to happen' feeling
- •Approaching a date, event, or milestone you're not ready for
Journaling prompts for when you feel dread
- What exactly are you dreading, and what's the worst thing that could realistically happen?
- If you could cancel or change the thing you're dreading, would you? What does that tell you?
- What would make the dreaded thing more bearable?
Healthy ways to cope with dread
1. Name the dread specifically — vague dread is worse than specific fear
2. Prepare for the thing you're dreading; having a plan reduces the anticipation anxiety
3. Ask yourself: am I dreading the thing itself, or just the feeling of dreading it?
Related emotions
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