Worry time

How it works

Worry time is a set moment in the day when you worry on purpose. For the rest of the day, the worrying can wait until that moment.

1. Choose a moment in the day, ideally the same one every day. Under Settings you turn on the clock. It runs for 15 minutes and stops by itself.
2. Write down what you are worrying about, one worry at a time.
3. For each worry, ask yourself: can I do something about this now? Choose Yes and write down one small step.
4. Can you not do anything about it now? Choose No and put the worry away for now. It goes in the box.
5. Done for now? Press Next. You see your small steps, to copy or print. Then do something else, something you enjoy.

Outside your worry time

Does a worry come up later in the day anyway? Then tell yourself: that can wait until my worry time. In your next worry time, you write it down.

Good to know

• No time runs unless you turn on the clock. When the 15 minutes are up, it says so and you can finish what you were doing.
• Want a worry back after all? Look in the box and choose Take out.
• Do you keep worrying a lot, even with worry time? Or does worrying get in the way of your daily life? Talk about it with your GP, or with someone you trust.

Your data

What you write down is not saved and not sent. If you close the page or reload it, everything is gone. What is in the box is not printed.

Sources

• Mentaal Vitaal (Trimbos Institute), Worrying ↗ (external website). Read on 30 September 2026.
• Thuisarts.nl, I want to cope better with stress ↗ (external website) (updated on 12 February 2026). Read on 30 September 2026.