Office Hours with Arthur Brooks The Anxiety Journal: A Neuroscience-Based Way to Calm Your Mind
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Jan 24, 2026 A neuroscience-backed technique for transforming vague dread into clear, actionable scenarios. Step-by-step guidance on writing worst, best, and most-likely outcomes for your worries. Tips for assigning probabilities to fears and creating concrete response plans. A practical journaling routine to move anxiety into decision-making and regain calm and control.
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Telling People 'Don't Worry' Backfires
- Avoid advice that tells you to simply stop thinking about anxiety because it backfires and increases rumination.
- Arthur C. Brooks cites research showing
Name Your Anxieties Clearly
- Do write down the specific things causing your anxiety and define them clearly in a quiet place.
- Arthur C. Brooks instructs you to list your top five anxieties and describe each one precisely.
Map Best, Worst, Most Likely Cases
- Do create scenario-based outcomes: worst case, best case, and most likely case for each anxiety.
- Arthur C. Brooks recommends using these three scenarios to structure and focus your fear.