About this resource
Worry can take over the day. Setting aside a short, regular worry time can help. Clients choose a time and place, jot down worries as they arise and postpone them, then use worry time to review the list, act on practical problems and let go of the rest. A tracker helps them notice changes over a week.
Purpose
To help clients gain a sense of control over worry by postponing it to a set time.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Counsellors and therapists. Also relevant for psychologists, youth workers.
Client or participant group: Adolescents and adults who worry a lot through the day.
Practice setting: Individual counselling, as between-session practice.
Suggested uses
- Generalised worry
- Sleep disrupted by worry
- Building on worry sorting
- Between-session practice
Instructions for practitioners
- Explain the rationale: postponing, not suppressing.
- Help the client choose a time that is not just before bed.
- Review the tracker together.
- Combine with problem-solving for practical worries.
Instructions for clients or participants
- Choose your worry time and place.
- Write worries down during the day and postpone them.
- Use worry time to review your list.
Accessibility considerations
Worries can be noted on a phone instead of paper.
Scope and limitations
A self-help strategy for use within counselling. It is not a treatment for anxiety disorders on its own.
Research basis
Scheduling worry and shifting from abstract to concrete thinking are supported strategies for reducing unhelpful worry and rumination. Understanding, naming and choosing strategies for emotions are central to emotion regulation; putting feelings into words and finer emotion distinctions are linked to better regulation.
- Borkovec, T., Wilkinson, L., Folensbee, R., & Lerman, C. (1983). Stimulus control applications to the treatment of worry. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 21(3), 247–251. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(83)90206-1
- Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion Regulation: Current Status and Future Prospects. Psychological Inquiry, 26(1), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840x.2014.940781
- Kashdan, T. B., Barrett, L. F., & McKnight, P. E. (2015). Unpacking Emotion Differentiation: Transforming Unpleasant Experience by Perceiving Distinctions in Negativity. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 24(1), 10–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721414550708
- Kircanski, K., Lieberman, M. D., & Craske, M. G. (2012). Feelings Into Words: Contributions of Language to Exposure Therapy. Psychological Science, 23(10), 1086–1091. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612443830
- Watkins, E. R. (2008). Constructive and unconstructive repetitive thought. Psychological Bulletin, 134(2), 163–206. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.134.2.163
What is included
A 3-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced. Reflects widely used worry postponement strategies.
