Overthinking vs deep thinking

The review names three things that may decide whether repetitive thought helps or harms: how negative its content is, the person and the situation it happens in, and whether it is abstract or concrete.

In studies the review describes, dwelling on an upsetting event in an abstract way, on its causes, meanings and implications, led to slower recovery from negative mood than dwelling on it in a concrete, experiential way.

In practice, abstract sounds like “what does this say about me?”; concrete sounds like “what exactly happened, and what could I do first?”

Examples to recognise yourself in, using the abstract and concrete questions above (one of the three factors the review names). They are prompts, not findings.

The review lists the stages of problem solving: define the problem, come up with alternative solutions, choose one, carry it out, and check how well it worked.

The review notes that running events through your mind again and again, rehearsing what is likely to come or replaying what has passed, can be an important part of planning, coping and self-regulation.

A long think that moves through those stages is doing its job. One that keeps restarting at the first stage, defining the problem again and again, is worth interrupting.

Answer these honestly about the thing on your mind:

• Have I learned anything new about it in the last half hour?
• Can I name the next concrete step, even a small one?
• Am I weighing real options, or replaying the same fear?
• Is there a point where I will have thought enough, and do I know when it is?

If you said no to most of them, set a time limit and write the options down, or use the decision breaker to bring the loop to an end.

No page can tell you whether a particular gut feeling is right, and this one will not try. What you can check is the thinking around it: whether it is still producing something new, or only going round.

If you have a hunch and keep second-guessing it, write down what it is telling you and one fact for and against. Then decide how much more information would change your mind, and whether you can get it.