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Worry Diet
Years ago during the Iraq war, I knew a Rabbi whose son was in the military and stationed there. I couldn’t imagine how he dealt with the fear for his son’s safety. The Rabbi (who was also a former Marine) explained that the only way he could manage the anxiety was by strictly limiting his worrying to 15 minutes a day. During those 15 minutes, he would really go for it, allowing all his darkest fears to surface. But by keeping a rigid boundary around the worry, it didn’t infect the rest of his day-to-day life. I’m going to try this.
Print by Friedrich Kunath
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But HOW does one do this? I find it difficult to get out of a worry mode, even when I know I should. Keep us posted, Wendy.
That said, I do find Morning Pages very helpful (as I’ve written before)–not perfect, but they really have reduced my worry and anxiety and obsessive thoughts if they occur.
I really like the idea of confining worry to 15 minutes a day. I haven’t experienced such an existensial worry as this Rabbi, and I’m probably not as disciplined, but I believe it’s a worthy intention. I’m willing to give it a try.