By Chris Walsh
Most of us know the feeling: worry settling in like an uninvited house guest, raiding your fridge and refusing to leave. When it digs in, even our usual coping tricks—Netflix, tea, brisk walks—stop working. And here’s the kicker: science-backed research shows that trying to force the thoughts away only makes them bounce back harder (Cioffi & Holloway, 1993; Clark, Ball & Pape, 1991; Gold & Wegner, 1995; Wegner et al., 1987; Wegner et al., 1991). It’s like trying to hold a beach ball under water—the more you push, the more forcefully it pops up. The more yu try to controlit , the moreyou feellike you are going under.
This technique is about letting the mental beach ball float instead. You notice it’s there, but you’re not wrestling with it anymore. Once it’s bobbing alongside you, you can see there’s still plenty of space to swim, float, or even play a game. The ball doesn’t have to disappear for you to relax and get on with living.
Differentiating Problem-Solving from Worry
Step one is recognising whether you’re actually swimming towards a solution or just treading water around that same beach ball. Constructive problem-solving feels purposeful—anxiety is low, and you’re either making progress or you know when to pause.
Worry, on the other hand, is you circling the ball endlessly. You’re not going anywhere, but you’re getting more tired and more tense. Trying to push it away only takes more energy—and it comes straight back at you.
How to Use the “Just Worrying” Label
When you notice you’re circling the ball, mentally tag it: just worrying. Then gently turn your attention to your breath or to something else in your mental surroundings. No pep talks, no “stop it” orders—just a quiet redirection.
It doesn’t matter if you do this ten times in a minute or if you’ve been drifting around it for two hours before you notice. Every time you label it, you let it drift a little further from the centre of your attention.
Over time—often within days—you may find the ball’s still in the pool, but it’s no longer in your face. Then you’ll probably forget to use the technique because the water feels calm again. When the ball drifts back, you remember the trick, and it works just as well as before.
Extending the Technique
The same approach works for other mental patterns: just doubting, just criticising. The “just” signals you’re not trying to sink the ball or throw it out of the pool—you’re simply letting it be while you get on with life. That’s the subtle shift that stops the struggle and keeps the water calm and clear.
And here’s the bonus you eventually realise peace doesn’t come from having no beach balls in the pool. It comes from knowing they’re there, finding them faintly ridiculous, and swimming on anyway.
Call to Action
💬 What’s your “beach ball” thought? Drop it in the comments—no judgement, just sharing.
📌 Save this post for the next time your thoughts start doing laps.
📣 Share this with a friend who’s stuck in a worry loop—they’ll thank you later.
References
Cioffi D. & Holloway J. (1993) Delayed costs of suppressed pain. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 274–282.
Clark D.M., Ball S, & Pape D. (1991) An Experimental Investigation of Thought Suppression. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 29, 253–257.
Gold D.B. & Wegner D.M. (1995) Origins of ruminative thought: trauma, incompleteness, non-disclosure and suppression. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 25, 1245–1261.
Wegner D.M., Schneider D.J., Carter S.R. & White T.L. (1987) Paradoxical Effects of Thought Suppression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 5–13.
Wegner D.M., Schneider D.J., Knutson B. & McMahon S.R. (1991) Polluting the stream of consciousness: The effect of thought suppression on the mind’s environment. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 15, 141–151.