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Stressed Out? Put It On the Calendar

Don’t let your worries consume your day. Use this helpful technique to keep your anxiety managed week after week.

sad and depressed woman sitting on sofa at home Maria Korneeva

By Ben Emminger

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You know the feeling.

Whether it’s a new instance or a lingering worry, stress can impact your day-to-day mental state big time. Having anxiety about anything in life can consume your thoughts, leaving you less focused on other tasks like cooking, cleaning, socializing and working out. And what happens when you’re unable to complete that already busy schedule due to concern over a single item? It can get busier in a hurry.

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This doesn’t need to be the norm. Stress, like your nightly meals or training sessions, can also be placed on the calendar, relegating the anxiety to a task to complete rather than a day-ruining endeavor.

This practice of planning and allotting time within your schedule for anxiety and stress is what’s known as the “Worry Time Technique.” Rather than stressing all day, this method treats stress like a Zoom call or meeting, granting you a set amount of minutes to deal with stressors and saving the rest of your waking hours for other tasks and interests.

But how can you make the switch from worrying constantly to worrying just a few minutes a day? What are the benefits to this unique approach to stress management? You’ll find all those answers, as well as some helpful product recommendations, below.

woman taking notes in her diaryJohner Images

What is the Worry Time Technique?

The Worry Time Technique involves scheduling a set amount minutes within your day to focus on your stressors and anxiety-fueled worries. Rather than focusing on these factors constantly, this practice can allow you to manage stress better while still being present in other situations throughout your day.

The thinking behind this unique stress management tool is to establish a designated time slot for troublesome factors, whether they be solvable or not. This allotted time keeps stressors more contained throughout the day, which can lead to better focus and anxiety-free presence elsewhere. There’s no need to worry about upcoming bills or sending the kids off to a new school for all of your waking hours — all that trouble can be focused in the allotted time slot later in the evening.

man writing in a diary sitting on a sofaMayur Kakade

Benefits of the Worry Time Technique

Containing your concerns allows you to remain focused on other tasks, creating sharper responses and clearer presence during day-to-day activities.

Additionally, this technique can be a great way to develop habits associated with weighing anxiety-causing factors. Can a problem be resolved in a reasonable manner? If yes, then an action plan can be devised in the allotted time. If the stressor is more complex, then you can focus on matters that are achievable in the given day and begin to hash out a worthwhile plan to eradicate the source of worry over a longer stretch.

Finally, keeping your worry limited to just a few minutes per day can be an effective way to minimize the effects anxiety and stress can have on the body. Stress can have negative impacts across your health, according to studies, with symptoms including higher blood pressure, increased risk for heart disease, obesity and more. Keeping this feeling more contained and controlled throughout your days and weeks can lessen your chances for health crises, allowing you to develop a less rocky relationship between yourself and normal worry.

worried young asian man with his hand on head, using laptop computer at home, looking concerned and stressed outAsiaVision

How to Use the Worry Time Technique

Create a scheduled window for worrying each and every day.

The first step in adopting the Worry Time Technique is, well, scheduling a set amount of time within your day for worrying. Try to find a window within your schedule that permits 15 to 30 minutes of dedicated time for these anxious thoughts.

Look for evening openings, to prevent worries taking over early in the day and help you compartmentalize all your daily stressors into a list for better addressing. Aim to keep this time consistent and daily, so as to establish the routine of worrying and create the brain pattern that’s less likely to dwell on issues when they pop up.

There are plenty of tools available to help you keep to your schedule throughout the week, from the digital wearables we all rely on to the more utilitarian pen and paper. Below are some of our top picks, but ultimately, it’s up to you.

Pros

  • Reliable alerts and functions that are with you throughout the day

Cons

  • Constant wear and interaction can lead to notification avoidance down the road

Pros

  • Provides additional room for tallying worries throughout the day

Cons

  • Reliant on your ability to remember your scheduled tasks

Limit your time to 30 minutes, max.

Limiting your “worry time” to 30 minutes can make the process more approachable in every given day. Plus, this allotted time can help maintain a level of efficiency and lessened strain. There’s no need to dwell on minor concerns after the fact, and matters that may require more involvement can be parceled out over multiple days.

In these 30 minutes, be sure to fully address your worries and determine if there’s any possible actions you can take to alleviate their strain. Document your solutions or begin to set plans in place during this time. If solutions aren’t achievable or you truly don’t have control over the anxiety in question, take this time to accept it and better alleviate the mental stress at play. It can be helpful to write down the problem as well as this understanding on a piece of paper, acknowledge it for a second and immediately disposing of the thought by throwing out the piece of paper or tearing it to shreds.

Create the right environment for worrying.

Try to find an area where you can be alone with your thoughts and stressors for the allotted time without any outside influences. If you have children or associates in a space, set boundaries to ensure you’re not bothered as you work through your stressors and strains.

Additionally, choose a seating arrangement that’s more uncomfortable than comfortable. Not only can this reinforce the notion that dealing with worries is an uncomfortable endeavor for anyone, but it can also ensure you truly limit your worry time. Think about it: are you more or less likely to get lost in your thoughts if your chosen chair is one of the most unwelcoming seats around?

Journal and track your daily worries with the right tools.

Keep track of your worries throughout the day as they present themselves. This can be as simple as jotting a line down in your Notes app, or keeping a dedicated journal with further details. There are also apps, such as WorryTree, that provide you an outlet to collect your worries, think through them systemically and deal with them.

Pros

  • Quick and simple reference points for reflection and worry analysis

Cons

  • Some may prefer a more lined page layout

Pros

  • Efficient way to monitor and organize your daily stressors

Cons

  • Additional questionnaires may lead to additional thought outside of scheduled worry time

Make a plan to get out of worry time.

Be sure to have an exit strategy to help transition your focus into more fruitful endeavors. For example, if you’re planning your worry time for the evenings, it can be helpful to schedule cooking dinner or hitting the gym directly after your stress session. Not only does this help ensure you end your regimen when needed, but it can also quickly shift your focus to more enjoyable tasks to round out your day.

As with any wellness regimen, the effort you put in dictates the results you reap. If you feel your anxiety is unsolvable through personal tactics, be sure to consult with a professional to find the method that’s right for you.

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