A new breed of brooding

Don’t worry, solve problems instead

Everyone suffers occasionally from ruminations — recurring thoughts about the causes and consequences of distressing topics. Now, however — with the huge upheaval, inability to know when things will return to normal and lack of understanding about this virus — repetitive, passive thinking is becoming a persistent problem for many.

And it’s not just unpleasant. Ruminating can interfere with your ability to concentrate, sleep well or control anxiety. What can we learn from the experts who study rumination, a common feature of depression and obsessive compulsive disorder?

Not all rumination is counterproductive. Denise Sloan at Boston University divides ruminators into two categories. Brooders are plagued by negative, abstract thoughts. They focus on their distress and on the problem itself rather than possible solutions. Reflective ponderers, on the other hand, feel only minimal distress as they turn inward to try to solve the problem.

The Response Styles Theory that Susan Nolen-Hoeksema at the University of Michigan has proposed is even more helpful. She said we adopt one of four thinking styles when distressed. The first is to deny or avoid thinking about the problem; second to ruminate (Sloan’s “brooders”); third to look for ways to relieve distress (“reflective ponderers”); and fourth to seek social support. Which is most useful in our current circumstances?

The answer depends on the problem. If there’s clearly no answer yet — for example, exactly when lockdown will end — it’s best either to avoid thinking about the problem. Or to focus on ways to relieve your distress, such as aerobic exercise, yoga, or learning mindfulness. There are many excellent online yoga classes.

If you’re ruminating about something that’s potentially solvable — for example, how to obtain food while self-isolating — reflective pondering is your best approach. Start by brainstorming: Make a list of all possible solutions. Then rank them and try them out one by one.

Whatever the problem, the least useful strategy is ruminating. It solves nothing and, worse, it maintains low mood and increases anxiety.

Seeking social support, if you do so to distract yourself from worries, is great. But it won’t help much if your aim is to feel reassured. Although you’ll feel relieved in the short term, seeking reassurance encourages feelings of helplessness and means you’ll find yourself anxiously contacting others ever more frequently.