As a cure for worrying, work is better than whiskey.

Worry needs somewhere to go, and it keeps circling until it is given a task. Absorbing work occupies the part of the mind that generates the loop, which is why an afternoon of real effort can leave you calmer than an afternoon of rest. Numbing has the opposite shape: it suspends the worry and hands it back with interest.

When anxiety is running, choose something that needs your hands or your full concentration and give it an hour. Physical work is often better than clever work for this. And if you have been reaching for something that only postpones the feeling, that deserves attention rather than judgement.