How to Put Your Worries on Hold with a Short Worry Time

A worry time is a short, set period you pick just for worrying. You give yourself permission to think about all your problems for, say, fifteen minutes. And that’s it. The rest of the day, you don’t have to think about them. When a worry shows up, you tell yourself you’ll deal with it during your worry time. Then you go back to what you were doing. Simple, right? But there’s a little more to it.

First, pick a time that works for you. Maybe it’s right after school or work, or before dinner. Try not to pick a time too close to when you go to sleep, because thinking about worries can keep you awake. You want to be alert enough to think clearly, but not so stressed that you feel worse. Fifteen to twenty minutes is plenty. You don’t need more than that. If you need more, you’re just repeating the same thoughts.

Second, get a notebook and a pen. This is important. When you sit down for your worry time, write down all the worries that are swimming in your head. Don’t try to solve them yet. Just list them. Seeing them on paper makes them feel smaller. It also stops your brain from trying to remember them, because you know they’re written down. Sometimes just writing is enough to make a worry lose its power.

After you’ve listed your worries, pick one or two that you can actually do something about. For each one, think of one small step you could take. Not a big plan, just one step. For example, if you’re worried about a test, your step could be to look at your notes for ten minutes tonight. If you’re worried about a friend, your step could be to text them tomorrow. Write that step next to the worry. Then close the notebook.

Now, here’s the key part. When your worry time ends, you have to stop. You can finish the sentence you’re writing, but no new worries. Take a deep breath, close the notebook, and go do something else. Go for a walk, make a snack, call a friend. Anything that takes you out of your head for a bit. This tells your brain that worry time is over, and it’s safe to let go.

What if a worry pops up at lunch? That will happen. Don’t panic. Just say to yourself, ’Not now. I’ll see you at worry time.’ And then really do bring it up at worry time. If you forget, no big deal. The worry probably wasn’t that important. But if you keep letting worries interrupt your day, your brain won’t take the rule seriously. So you have to be firm. Think of it like training a dog. You don’t give a treat when the dog barks at nothing. You only reward the quiet.

This works because your brain is good at patterns. When you give it a set time to worry, it learns to wait. You’re not pushing your worries away forever. You’re just saying they’ll get their turn later. That’s way easier than trying to ignore them. It also helps you see that most worries don’t need all your attention. They can sit in a notebook until you’re ready.

Try it for a week. Pick a time, get a notebook, follow the steps. Even if you feel silly at first, you might notice your anxious feelings calm down. You’ll still have worries, but they won’t own your whole day. And that’s a big win. You’re in charge, not your worry. It takes practice, but after a few days you’ll see that this simple trick really makes a difference for most people.