hard to make sure that your fearful predictions don’t come true. For example, if you 
are afraid of looking foolish during a presentation, you may spend days rehearsing and 
memorizing what you will say. If you’re fearful of making small talk, you may spend 
hours preparing topics of conversation and rehearsing what you might talk about. If 
you are afraid of looking unattractive, you may put too much effort into ﬁxing your 
hair, choosing your clothes, or building your muscles at the gym. In many cases, these 
situations might be managed with less effort, leaving time and energy for other things. 
Exposure practices should be designed to eliminate any tendencies to overprepare or 
overcompensate for ﬂaws that may not even be present. For example, instead of spend -
ing hours memorizing a presentation, try giving your talk with only minimal (but still 
adequate) preparation.