There is a small gap between something happening and the story you tell yourself about it. That gap is the cheapest place to step in.

Watch for the moment a what if turns into a when. That small slide, from a possibility into something you can already picture in detail, is where worry does most of its damage.

Anxiety left alone for long enough tends to tire into something flatter. The why bother feeling is not a separate problem arriving out of nowhere. It is often where a long stretch of worry ends up.

The pull you feel towards the screen was built on purpose by people paid to make it strong. That is not an excuse, but it does take some of the shame out of losing an hour to it.