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Spot the loop · Lesson 2 of 10

Stewing or Solving: Two Kinds of Repeated Thinking

Learn to tell thinking that goes round in circles from thinking that goes somewhere, with one simple question you can ask in the moment.

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THE WRITTEN LESSONFollow along at your pace

Not all repeated thinking is the same. In this lesson you will learn to tell two kinds apart: stewing, which goes round in circles, and solving, which goes somewhere. Once you can tell which one you are doing, you can choose what to do next.

Rumination: round and round

Psychologists call the going-round kind ruminationrumination: Repetitive, passive dwelling on problems, feelings or their causes and consequences, without moving toward a solution. It is linked to depression and anxiety, and when it is about work it can keep the job on your mind long after the working day ends.Full entry in the glossary: dwelling again and again on a problem, or on how you feel about it, without moving toward a solution. It is linked to low mood and anxiety, so it is worth learning to notice.

A seated person with a thought bubble holding a red loop arrow. Labels read Rumination: round and round, no solution, and Linked to low mood and anxiety.(opens the full-size picture)
Rumination is a loop with no way out.

Two kinds of thinking

Researchers who study evenings after work describe two kinds of thinking. Stewing is thinking with a negative charge: frustration, annoyance or dread. Solving is turning a problem over to find an answer.

Two cards side by side. Stewing has a worried face and the labels Frustration, Annoyance and Dread. Solving has a smiling face, a light bulb and the label Turning it over to find an answer.(opens the full-size picture)
Same problem, two ways of thinking about it.

What stewing costs

The difference shows in your body. Stewing keeps body and mind keyed up, which gets in the way of rest. In one survey of 719 working adults, stewing was the strongest link to tiredness. Calmly working through a problem was far more weakly linked.

This was a single survey taken at one point in time, so it shows a link, not proof that stewing causes tiredness.

Two batteries. Stewing has a nearly empty red battery and the words Strongest link to tiredness. Solving has a fuller green battery and the words Far weaker link. Labels read 719 working adults and One survey: a link, not proof.(opens the full-size picture)
One survey found a link between stewing and tiredness. It is a link, not proof.

The check

Here is a simple check. When a thought keeps coming back, ask yourself: is this thought moving toward a next step, or going round the same loop with the same feeling? Stewing goes round. Solving goes somewhere.

A question card reading Moving toward a next step, or going round? Below it, a red loop arrow labeled Stewing goes round and a dashed green path to a flag on a hill labeled Solving goes somewhere.(opens the full-size picture)
The one question to ask when a thought loops.

Some worry is real

Thinking about a problem is not always bad. Some worry points at something real, like a bill you cannot cover, and a mind that keeps returning to it is responding to a real risk. The trouble starts when the thinking is unwanted and feels out of your control.

On the left, a bill marked Due Friday with a tick and the label Real problem: worth thinking about. On the right, a tangled thought bubble with a red outline and the label Unwanted, out of control.(opens the full-size picture)
A real problem is worth thinking about. An unwanted loop is a different job.

Solve on purpose

If a worry has a practical side, solve it on purpose. Give one solvable problem five or ten minutes and make a plan. If it is outside your control, that is a different job, and later lessons will help with it.

A bill with a tick, a 10:00 timer, and an open notebook listing Check the bill, Pick one step and Do it today. Labels read One problem, 5 to 10 minutes and Outside your control? Later lessons.(opens the full-size picture)
One problem, five to ten minutes, a short plan.

YOUR TURN

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Read the full lesson script

In this lesson, you'll learn to tell two kinds of repeated thinking apart: stewing, which goes round in circles, and solving, which goes somewhere.

Psychologists call the going-round kind rumination: dwelling again and again on a problem, or on how you feel about it, without moving toward a solution. It's linked to low mood and anxiety.

Researchers who study evenings after work describe two kinds of thinking. Stewing is thinking with a negative charge: frustration, annoyance, or dread. Solving is turning a problem over to find an answer.

The difference shows in your body. Stewing keeps body and mind keyed up, which gets in the way of rest. In a survey of seven hundred and nineteen working adults, stewing was the strongest link to tiredness. Calmly working through a problem was far more weakly linked.

So here's a simple check. Ask yourself: is this thought moving toward a next step, or going round the same loop with the same feeling? Stewing goes round. Solving goes somewhere.

Thinking about a problem isn't always bad. Some worry points at something real, like a bill you can't cover. The trouble starts when the thinking is unwanted, and feels out of your control.

If a worry has a practical side, solve it on purpose. Give one solvable problem five or ten minutes, and make a plan. If it's outside your control, that's a different job, and later lessons will help with it.

So remember: stewing goes round, solving goes somewhere, and some worry points at something real. Before the next lesson, when a thought loops, ask the check question, and write down which one it is. Next, you'll learn to notice the loop early.