THE BALLAST PRINCIPLE

The Worry Timer

Strong evidence

Give every worry an appointment: capture it, set when you'll deal with it, and run a contained worry session with a timer. A classic CBT technique, private in your browser.

Give a worry an appointment

The technique is simple: instead of fighting a worry the moment it arrives, write it down and name a specific time you'll deal with it. That tells the worried part of your mind it's been heard and has a slot — which is often enough to let it set the thought down until then.

Worry session timer

The other half of scheduled worry: when your appointment comes, set a timer and worry on purpose. Give the worries your full attention for fifteen minutes — then when the timer ends, you're done until the next slot. Containing worry is more effective than trying to banish it.

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