Worry Time

Worry has a strange property. The harder you try to suppress it, the more it returns. Tell yourself not to think about a problem, and your mind circles back to it within minutes. This is one of the well-known frustrations of anxiety, and it leads many people to assume worry is uncontrollable.

The clinical technique called scheduled worry inverts the approach. Instead of fighting the thoughts, you give them an appointment. For fifteen minutes a day, same time, same place, you sit and worry deliberately. Write the worries down. Examine them. Let them be present.

Outside the window, when worries arise, you defer them. Tell yourself: I will deal with this at six this evening. Note it on a list if needed. The mind, knowing the thought will be addressed, often relaxes. The paradox of the technique is that giving worry permission tends to dissolve much of its grip. Try it for two weeks. The result is unintuitive but reliable.