Worry Time

Worry Time is a simple, evidence-based technique often used in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) to help manage chronic worry. Instead of fighting negative thoughts, Worry Time encourages you to go with the flow and allow your worries to happen in a more intentional way. By scheduling one or more short periods each day to focus on your worries — usually 5 to 30 minutes — you’re better able to focus on other things and avoid spending most of your day worrying.

When worries show up outside of that time, you gently remind yourself: “I’ll think about this during worry time.” For many people, this helps worry feel more contained and manageable.

How Worry Time helps with anxiety

• Reduces constant and excessive worrying

• Helps you feel more in control of anxious thoughts

• Separates real, solvable problems from “what if” worries

• Improves focus, productivity, and daily functioning

• Builds tolerance for uncertainty — an important skill in anxiety management

• Many people notice that when worries are postponed, they often lose intensity or no longer feel urgent

Helpful tips

• Try not to engage with “what if” thoughts outside of worry time. You might tell yourself:

  “Nothing is a problem until it’s actually happening.”

• Write worries down in a notes app or journal to review later or discuss in therapy

• Schedule worry time earlier in the evening, at least 1–2 hours before bed, since worrying late at night can interfere with sleep

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Siobhan Marko is a social worker and psychotherapist in Toronto’s Bloor West Village–High Park area. For more than 20 years, she has been supporting adults and teens facing anxiety, depression, stress, burnout, and life transition. She uses CBT and mindfulness to offer simple, supportive tools that help people create meaningful change in their lives. Book a consultation call and discover what you’re truly capable of.