WE SUFFER MORE IN IMAGINATION THAN IN REALITY.
What it actually means:
Your brain is catastrophizing. The actual situation is probably more manageable than the horror film playing in your head.
Real-life moment:
You have to have a difficult conversation with a friend. You rehearse it 500 times in your head, imagining every way it could go wrong. The actual conversation? Awkward for like 2 mins, then they get it, you both feel closer after. This sentence = reminder that the dread was worse than the thing itself.