I've noticed a pattern that I think a lot of people in this community might recognize.
Before a difficult call or conversation, my mind starts preparing. Running through scenarios. Anticipating reactions. Rehearsing what I'll say and how I'll say it.
On the surface it feels productive. Like I'm getting ready.
What I've noticed is that by the time the conversation actually starts, I've already had it ten times in my head. I arrive mentally exhausted before anything has even happened.
The preparation doesn't reduce anxiety. It feeds it.
What's started helping me isn't more preparation. It's the opposite; a deliberate pause right before. Not to rehearse one more time, but just to arrive in my own body first.
Something as simple as feeling my feet on the floor. Choosing one thing I want to stay connected to no matter how the interaction goes. Reminding myself I can enter this as myself.
It doesn't make the conversation easy. But there's a difference between entering something grounded versus entering it already depleted from the mental rehearsal.
Curious if others have noticed this preparation spiral and what, if anything, has helped interrupt it.