She Rocks the Spectrum

The Worry Window

Worry feels productive, but most of it runs in circles. One approach that helps is to stop fighting it all day and instead give it a window — a set, limited time — and gently postpone worries until then.

Set your window

Pick a daily time and length. Not right before bed.

My worry window (when & how long)
e.g. e.g. 6:00–6:15pm
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Sort the worries

During the day, jot worries here. Later, sort each into one of two buckets.

Worries on my mind

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Sort them

I can do something about this

• Which worries: ____________________
• If it's mine to act on — the next step: ____________________

Out of my hands right now

• Which worries: ____________________
• If it's mine to act on — the next step: ____________________

When the spiral hits outside the window

Try

• Name it: 'that's a worry — I'll meet it at 6pm'
• Ground with 5-4-3-2-1 or your breath
• Move your body or change rooms
• Write the worry down so your brain can let go of holding it

My go-to when worry shows up at the wrong time

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Postponing isn't ignoring: You're not pretending the worry away — you're choosing when to give it your attention, so it doesn't take the whole day.