Worried and stressed? Call yourself a problem solver
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 a persistent problem for many.
And it's not just unpleasant. Ruminating can interfere with your ability to concentrate, sleep well or control spiralling anxiety.
Ruminating can interfere with your ability to concentrate, sleep well, or control spiralling 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 proposed by Susan Nolen-Hoeksema at the University of Michigan is even more helpful. She explained that we adopt one of four thinking styles when distressed. The first is to deny or avoid thinking about the problem, the second to ruminate (Sloan's "brooders"), the third to look for ways to relieve distress ("reflective ponderers"), and the 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 altogether, or at least learn to think about it without becoming unduly upset.
Otherwise, focus on ways to relieve your distress, such as aerobic exercise, yoga or learning mindfulness. Adriene Mischler offers excellent online yoga classes, and Mark Williams and Danny Penman's book Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic World is probably the best way to introduce yourself to the practice.
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, as Nolen-Hoeksema found, 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 more frequently.
Finally, although it may sound trivial, how you refer to yourself can really make a positive difference. Avoid saying you're anxious or worried. Instead, call yourself a problem solver.
Linda Blair is a clinical psychologist.
The Telegraph, London