Thinking time

When you are stressed, the same worries can circle back again and again. Thinking time gives those thoughts a place to go: instead of chewing on a worry the moment it appears, you park it here and agree to think about it later — at one set time each day. Many worries feel smaller, or already resolved, by the time that moment arrives.

1. 1Notice. When a worry shows up during the day, just notice it: "There is a worry."
2. 2Park it. Jot it down here, and tell yourself you will think about it at your thinking time.
3. 3Refocus. Gently return your attention to what you were doing. The worry is saved; you do not need to hold it.
4. 4Review, then close. At your thinking time, look over what you parked, think it through, then close it for the day.

• Breaks the loop of returning to the same thought all day.
• Gives worries a contained time and place instead of the whole day.
• Many parked worries lose their urgency — or resolve themselves — before thinking time.
• Builds a sense of control: you decide when to engage, and when to set it down.

This is a gentle self-help practice, not a treatment for anxiety. If worry feels constant or overwhelming, or you cannot set it down, consider talking with a qualified professional — the support resources are always here.

Noticed a worry? Write it down, then let it wait until your thinking time.

Thinking time is based on “scheduled worry” (stimulus control for worry), a cognitive behavioural technique introduced by Borkovec and colleagues (1983) and widely used in CBT for worry and generalised anxiety. It is adapted here as an educational self-help practice, not a treatment.

Borkovec, T. D., Wilkinson, L., Folensbee, R., & Lerman, C. (1983). Stimulus control applications to the treatment of worry. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 21(3), 247–251.