Dwelling on a problem, thinking “this is horrible, I can’t handle this” or rehashing things that happened in the past are an unproductive use of your time.

Thinking about what steps you can take to improve the situation or actively thinking of a solution to the pro...

• If you are actively solving a problem, such as trying to find ways to increase your chances of success, keep working on solutions.
• If you're wasting your time ruminating and imagining catastrophic outcomes over and over again, recognize that your way of thinking isn't p...

 Thinking about strategies that would help you overcome an obstacle is helpful, but imagining yourself unable to tolerate pain isn't productive. Whenever you find yourself thinking about something for an extended time, take a minute to think whether you're ruminating or problem-solving.
If you...