You'd been dreading something for ages — a test, a hard conversation, an appointment, a confrontation. The worry had built up for days. And then you did it. It happened. And afterwards, you felt this enormous wave of relief and calm, almost lightheaded with it. Looking back, the dread had felt so much bigger than the actual thing turned out to be. You'd spent all that energy bracing for a moment that, once it arrived, you got through just fine.