Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow Can I Schedule Worry Time?Why Setting Aside Worry Time Can Be So HelpfulAre There Any Drawbacks to the Worry Time Technique?

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

How Can I Schedule Worry Time?

Why Setting Aside Worry Time Can Be So Helpful

Are There Any Drawbacks to the Worry Time Technique?

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If you tend toworry about things constantly, you may find it difficult to stop despite your best efforts. The stress can interfere with your ability to sleep, work, or enjoy leisure activities. The worry time technique can help with this.

What Exactly Is Worry Time?The worry time technique involves scheduling a time during the day that is devoted to worrying, explainsSabrina Romanoff, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and professor at Yeshiva University.

What Exactly Is Worry Time?

The worry time technique involves scheduling a time during the day that is devoted to worrying, explainsSabrina Romanoff, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and professor at Yeshiva University.

Although it might sound counterintuitive, this technique is designed to help you reduce the amount of time you spend worrying about things beyond your control, says Dr. Romanoff.

The idea is that rather than worrying about things throughout the day, you designate a small part of the day to worry about everything that’s troubling you and work on finding solutions for things within your control.

This article lists some steps you can take to practice this technique effectively and discusses the benefits and limitations of scheduling worry time.

Quiz: Do You Worry Too Much?

Dr. Romanoff shares some steps that can help you practice this technique effectively:

What You Can Do to Cope With Anxiety

Below, Dr. Romanoff explains some of the benefits of scheduling time to worry.

Reduce the Time Spent Worrying

Sabrina Romanoff, PsyDThe ultimate benefit of worry time is having more time and energy to focus on other important areas of your life that were previously consumed with worries. This frees up mental space to be more present and engaged with other areas of your life.

Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD

The ultimate benefit of worry time is having more time and energy to focus on other important areas of your life that were previously consumed with worries. This frees up mental space to be more present and engaged with other areas of your life.

Be More Effective and Purposeful

Whenstressand anxiety get a hold of you, you may find yourself in an endless spiral of worry. The worry time technique helps you worry more effectively.

The idea is not to simply spend time dwelling on your worries, but instead to review each worry and ask yourself: “Can I do anything to change this? Is this worry in my control?” If the answer is “yes,” then create an action plan and keep yourself accountable to following through. If the answer is “no,” practice accepting and letting go.

Reduce the Harmful Effects of Stress

Stress affects your body both mentally and physically. In addition to making you more alert, stress can also cause physiological changes such as muscle tension, rapid heartbeat, and raised blood sugar levels.

Being stressed out frequently or for long periods of time can be harmful to your health.Chronic stresscan lead to health conditions such as:

Reducing your stress levels can help prevent these health conditions.

People who tend not to practice the technique correctly may not be able to benefit from it, says Dr. Romanoff. According to her, these are some of the habits that may limit the effectiveness of this practice:

How to Make Yourself Feel Better Mentally

What This Means For YouIf you often find that stressful thoughts are intruding on your day and hampering your ability to function, it might be helpful to schedule a time to worry. You can use this technique to reduce the time you spend worrying, be more productive during the day, and tackle your worries more effectively.However, if you find that your worries are persistent and still consume a significant part of your day, it might be helpful to see a mental healthcare provider who can offertreatment.

What This Means For You

If you often find that stressful thoughts are intruding on your day and hampering your ability to function, it might be helpful to schedule a time to worry. You can use this technique to reduce the time you spend worrying, be more productive during the day, and tackle your worries more effectively.However, if you find that your worries are persistent and still consume a significant part of your day, it might be helpful to see a mental healthcare provider who can offertreatment.

If you often find that stressful thoughts are intruding on your day and hampering your ability to function, it might be helpful to schedule a time to worry. You can use this technique to reduce the time you spend worrying, be more productive during the day, and tackle your worries more effectively.

However, if you find that your worries are persistent and still consume a significant part of your day, it might be helpful to see a mental healthcare provider who can offertreatment.

What Is the Pomodoro Technique?

4 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Briñol P, Gascó M, Petty RE, Horcajo J.Treating thoughts as material objects can increase or decrease their impact on evaluation.Psychol Sci. 2013;24(1):41-47. doi:10.1177/0956797612449176National Library of Medicine.Stress.O’Connor DB, Thayer JF, Vedhara K.Stress and health: a review of psychobiological processes.Annu Rev Psychol. 2021;72:663-688. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-062520-122331National Library of Medicine.Stress and your health.Additional ReadingNational Institute of Mental Health.Anxiety disorders.

4 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Briñol P, Gascó M, Petty RE, Horcajo J.Treating thoughts as material objects can increase or decrease their impact on evaluation.Psychol Sci. 2013;24(1):41-47. doi:10.1177/0956797612449176National Library of Medicine.Stress.O’Connor DB, Thayer JF, Vedhara K.Stress and health: a review of psychobiological processes.Annu Rev Psychol. 2021;72:663-688. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-062520-122331National Library of Medicine.Stress and your health.Additional ReadingNational Institute of Mental Health.Anxiety disorders.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Briñol P, Gascó M, Petty RE, Horcajo J.Treating thoughts as material objects can increase or decrease their impact on evaluation.Psychol Sci. 2013;24(1):41-47. doi:10.1177/0956797612449176National Library of Medicine.Stress.O’Connor DB, Thayer JF, Vedhara K.Stress and health: a review of psychobiological processes.Annu Rev Psychol. 2021;72:663-688. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-062520-122331National Library of Medicine.Stress and your health.

Briñol P, Gascó M, Petty RE, Horcajo J.Treating thoughts as material objects can increase or decrease their impact on evaluation.Psychol Sci. 2013;24(1):41-47. doi:10.1177/0956797612449176

National Library of Medicine.Stress.

O’Connor DB, Thayer JF, Vedhara K.Stress and health: a review of psychobiological processes.Annu Rev Psychol. 2021;72:663-688. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-062520-122331

National Library of Medicine.Stress and your health.

National Institute of Mental Health.Anxiety disorders.

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