I think the key is not avoiding the thought but avoiding the speculation with the thought. So when sitting with it you allow yourself to feel all the emotions + thoughts brought on but when you start to engage with the “what ifs” and debating the potential consequences, you’re participating in a rumination compulsion. Instead, when those thoughts pop up, you respond with “hmm maybe, maybe not” or when consequence thoughts pop up you respond with “we’ll cross that bridge when we get there”. I know it’s hard with mental compulsions like rumination to understand when we’re engaging or not, but you can do it!