February 27, 2026

294 — Dreading Something? Here’s Exactly What You Need to Do to Stop the Dread Spiral

19 minutes

How often do you find yourself dreading something so much that it’s hard to think about anything else? Maybe you’ve avoided doing something important—like applying for a new job—because the thought of waiting for a rejection letter felt unbearable. You are not alone. Dread is a powerful emotion that can hijack your decisions.

But you don’t have to let dread control your life. In today’s episode, I’m diving into the science of "dread aversion" and sharing how to stop letting the fear of waiting sabotage your success.

Some of the things I talk about are:

Why waiting often feels worse than getting bad news

The surprising ways dread can trick you into making bad decisions

A fascinating study that reveals why your brain weighs future pain more heavily than future pleasure

How dread and procrastination go hand-in-hand—and what to do about it

The science behind why people would rather face pain now than wait for the unknown

How to use counterfactual thinking to stop catastrophic "what-if" thoughts

A 4-step "What-If Workout" to break free from the dread spiral

Why taking action is the ultimate antidote to dread

How to reframe uncertainty so it doesn’t feel so overwhelming

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Related Episodes ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

144 — 7 Surprising Strategies That Fix Anxiety (Even Though We Fear These Things Will Make Anxiety Worse)

118 — How to Do Something You Hate

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By Amy Morin

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