A fifteen-minute worry window

Telling yourself not to worry rarely works. Giving worry its own time often does. This is a small daily appointment, at the same time and place, when worries are welcome, and outside it they can wait.

The steps

Four small steps,in your own time.

Choose fifteen minutes in the late afternoon or early evening, not just before bed, and a chair you will use for this and nothing much else.
During the day, when a worry arrives, note it in a word or two on your phone or a scrap of paper and tell it: later.
At the appointed time, sit down with the list and give each worry a minute. For each one, ask: is there one small thing I can do about this? If so, write it down.
When fifteen minutes are up, stop, even mid-worry. Stand up, stretch, and do something with your hands.

The reason

Why it helps

Worry likes to feel urgent. Postponing it, rather than fighting it, shows the mind that a worry can wait without anything terrible happening. Many people find that by the time the window comes, half the list has lost its grip. The ones that remain get proper attention, and some turn into a plan.

A gentle variation

If you are caring for someone and the worries are about them, keep two lists: things you can act on, and things only time or the care team can answer. The second list can be taken to the next appointment, so you do not have to carry it in between.

A fifteen-minute worry window

Four small steps,in your own time.

Why it helps

A gentle variation

Try itwith someone.

Try it today

More from VIVE Calm,for real days.

The worry list

Name what you feel

One good thing