Coping During the Coronavirus- Strategy #12

Worry Time

If you are feeling overwhelmed by the amount of time you spend worrying each day, or feel that worries are interfering with your sleep, your work, or your ability to be present, consider the practice of “worry time.” Designate a specific time (not right before bed) and set aside 20 minutes where all you do is worry. If worries come up during the day, write them down later to address at “worry time.” During that designated time your job is simply to worry. Write the worries down, say them out loud in front of a mirror. You are not trying to fix or solve the worry, rather you are just writing them down or speaking them.

The act of articulating your worries in this way is in and of itself therapeutic. It also helps to reinforce the idea that you have control over when and how you engage in anxious thinking. When your timer goes off- that’s it. Worries go on the list to address the next day at the next scheduled time.