Train Your Brain With ‘Worry Time’
A Simple Habit to Calm Stress
You know that feeling when your brain starts planning for every worst- case scenario before you’ve even finished breakfast? Or when you lie down at night and your thoughts suddenly remember every bill, test, and “what if” all at once? If so, you aren’t alone, but there’s a counterintuitive trick that may help with that kind of mental spinning. Therapists suggest that people schedule “worry time.” The approach comes from cognitive-behavioral therapy and is used as a practical way to keep stress from running the show. The idea is straightforward: Once a day, for a short block of time, you sit down and let your mind bring up the stuff you keep circling. During the rest of the day, instead of wrestling with every new “what if,” you write a note about your worries and set it aside for later. Little by little, your worries start showing up more during that set time and less when you are trying to work, relax, or sleep. To get started, pick a block of time, about 15–30 minutes. It could be right before dinner or before you watch a show, but early evenings are often best. Scheduling the block then gives you enough time to accumulate your worries during the day, but also leaves you with time afterward to decompress and relax. It’s also helpful to set a timer and pick an uncomfortable spot to sit so you aren’t tempted to stay longer than the allotted time.
When worry time starts, go through every item on your list and ask yourself, “Is there anything I can actually do about this?” If the answer is yes, write down what it is and how you can work toward it. Otherwise, practice letting the worry go and move on to the next one. The goal of all this isn’t to ignore real problems. It’s ultimately about freeing mental space so you can be more present and productive during the day and less likely to experience the harmful effects of stress.
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