Well-Being Snippet: Two Boxes Strategy

This video is one in a series of short videos that offer practical tools you can carry into your day to reduce stress and cultivate greater well-being.

In this video, I will teach you how you can use the "two boxes strategy" to help you interrupt worry thoughts. (There is also an accompanying worksheet for this practice on the Insight Timer Therapy Hub).

This video is purely for educational purposes and is not intended as a psychological treatment or intervention of any kind.

Transcript

Hi, I'm Beth Kerland. And today I want to share a strategy that I call the two boxes. This is really helpful. At least I found it really helpful. For me, When I'm in the midst of worrying. And I am kind of an expert warrior by temperament. So. When I find myself worrying, It's kind of as if I have two boxes and. The first box here is the present moment box. So that is. What is actually happening right here in this moment? And notice this box is relatively small. And then I also have what I call the everything else box. And this box is quite a bit bigger. And in here are all of my what if thoughts, My kind of spiraling thoughts about the future, About imagining, Catastrophizing, Envisioning things that may or may not ever even happen. And if you imagine that I were to dump out the contents of both of these boxes into the middle of the room. A lot there would be kind of overwhelming to deal with. Especially if all the things in this box haven't even happened. So how can we cope with something that hasn't actually happened yet? So I try to remind myself. When I'm stuck in a worry loop. To take all of the things in mind. Future box here, Things that haven't actually happened yet. And I put them in the box. The lid on the box and to put this box aside And come back to my present moment box, What is actually happening right here in this moment. Even if it's unpleasant, Even if it's difficult, I can usually deal with what's in here. And to trust that as. Things in the future arise that then kind of tip into my present moment box, I can deal with them as they come up. But I don't have to touch this box. I don't have to become overwhelmed by this box. Let my mind be consumed by all of the things in this box, Which may or may not actually ever come to fruition. So I hope that is helpful for you. And I wish you much well-being as you go forward into your day, Into your week. Take good care.