Worry Management

What is worry management?

• thinking about worries differently
• finding ways to live so that worries don’t adversely affect sleep
• becoming better able to manage and reduce the impact of anxiety and rumination

Worries can activate the flight or fight response, which increases heart rate, sweating etc.

Worries about sleep can make it harder to sleep!

Worry writing

Write down worrisome thoughts and for each thought:

1. What is a less bad way of looking at this?
2. What is the actual likelihood of this happening?
3. What evidence do I have for these worries?
4. What evidence do I have against these worries?
5. How have I coped with similar situations in the past?

Don’t try to write down every worry at once. One or two worries a day is enough, so that each worry can be fully explored. If a worry is hard to write about it might be necessary to talk to a therapist or counselor to do this in a safe and supportive environment.

Timing

When to practice worry management

• at least an hour before bed

Suggestion: Set aside time in the day for worries

Resources

[https://oxfordhealth.nhs.uk/camhs/self-care/sleep/anxiety-worry/relaxation-plan/]

Nick Wignall post on the benefits of writing down worries