Have you ever found yourself in a worry spiral?🌀

(Mine usually happen at 3:15 a.m.)

Our brains are great at tricking us into thinking that they’re doing actual work, when what they’re actually doing is working us up into a state of anxiety that’s bad for us both physically and mentally.

🌀 But what if there was a simple method to help you shrink the worry spiral to a solvable problem, fast?

That’s exactly what I have for you in this week’s email, so keep reading. . .

Most spirals feel endless because they’re not just one worry — they’re a cloud of fears.

➜ Your job is to distill your worry cloud down to one sentence.

Not a paragraph. Not a page. A sentence.

Then, you’ll see that your worry is either:

1. A solvable problem.
2. Or an uncertainty that you must practice tolerating.

Step One: Notice Your Worry

Sounds simple enough, but you have to notice – usually by recognizing your “worry cue.”

Maybe your worry cue is that you’re up at 3:15 a.m., like me.

Or maybe you’ll notice that you’re doom-scrolling your email.

Or that you’re obsessively folding your already-folded laundry.

Whatever it is, notice your worry-cue, and stop.

Move on to step two.

Step Two: Write down your worry.

The next step is to write it down.

You might benefit from a template. If so, use this one:

“I’m worried that ____ will happen, and then ____.”

Here’s some examples:

• “I’m worried my boss will think I’m incompetent, and then I’ll get fired.”
• “I’m worried I’ll miss something important, and then I’ll look stupid.”
• “I’m worried I’ll send the wrong tone, and then she’ll be mad at me.”
• “I’m worried I’ll do something dumb, and then I’ll ruin my career.”

Now, it’s your turn.

This is the hardest part, so go ahead and take some time distilling your worry-cloud into a one-sentence worry.

Step Three: Label which kind of worry you have (pick one)

Most worries fall into one of these three buckets:

1. Actionable (I can do something about it)
2. Information gap (I need more information)
3. Uncertainty / meaning (I want a guarantee I can’t get)

This is where spirals shrink, because now, you’re no longer “anxious.” You “need information,” or “need to take a step” or “are uncertain.”

This is better than pure anxiety because you may have more control over what happens next. You’re no longer just spinning. 🌀

Step 4: Create the smallest next step (one micro-action)

This is crucial because your brain calms down when it sees movement. It no longer has to whip up its own storm just to see something happening.

Here’s what you can do.

If you landed in the Actionable Bucket:

Write: “Next best step: ____ ”

Try to keep your steps small (things you can do in 10 minutes or less, or else your brain will get carried away again. You can always create another step after.)

​
​Examples:

• Draft 3 bullet points for my update email.
• Ask one clarifying question about the deadline.
• Make a 15-minute plan for the first task chunk.

If you landed in the Information Bucket:

Try to keep your information gathering small here. You can (and should!) gather more information later. For now, you’re focusing on what information you need that will help you feel less anxious right now.

​
​Write down: I need to know: ____
​Then: How I’ll get it: ____

​
​Examples:

• I need to know: what ‘ASAP’ means to her.
• How I’ll get it: ask, ‘What’s your ideal delivery date?’

If you landed in the Uncertainty/Meaning Bucket:

This one might force you to use distress tolerance skills, or skills related to the other two Buckets (gathering information or taking action) even while your main job is to tolerate the uncertainty or life circumstances that are occurring.

​
​Write: I can’t solve this. I can practice: ____.
​Pick one:

• I can practice waiting 24 hours before I seek reassurance.
• I can practice sending the message at 80%.
• I can practice letting someone have a reaction without fixing it.

One sentence = More peace

In life, you’ll always have anxious times, because life is full of uncertainties. But it’s important to remember, the goal isn’t to feel certain. It’s for us to become effective anyway.

I hope this exercise helps.