You know something. I just thought of something that would really help along the lines of productive thinking. If we struggle to stop an addiction, make a tough decision, or think back to what should have been rather than what was, we can ask ourselves one thing: Will ____ help better my life in any way? Let's go for some examples. Let's say a man has a crippling addiction with alcohol. He practically can't live without it and he struggles with it on a day to day basis. It drains him, he wants to give it up completely, but he can't seem to do so. There are even times where he struggles to see if this is bettering or worsening his life. He can ask himself "How is this helping me in my life currently?" He could have lost his job due to alcohol, his home. Whether more good things or more bad things, he can use those past experiences to apply them to his present and his future. If that man were to deeply think about his addiction, he can say to himself "This isn't adding anything to my life. I should cut this out now and forever." Though it won't be easy, he at the very least knows that this is something that is hurting him more than it is helping him. Another example would be a woman who finds herself nervous about her upcoming play at her workplace. She looks forward to this moment of her life, but at the same time, her emotions feel otherwise. She can take time to think to herself "How will this better my life?" This could help reduce her stage fright, find a new interest in performing in plays, and after participating in such, she may find that she will be very happy that she made the decision to be a part in that play. I'm someone that often gets stuck in the past with good and bad memories. I do this almost everyday and it's stronger in some days than others. Good memories often come from my childhood. The bad ones usually spawn in my adolescence based on what I wish I had done, what I wish I knew at the time, and what I thought I could do better now. I can use the deep thinking question that is "How will ruminating over this improve my overall quality of life?" Thinking about solutions of things like this are definitely viable, but getting stuck on that spinning wheel isn't, however. It is helpful to remind yourself of what you have learned, what you can do better, and how much you have improved based on who you were last year. These are things I do try to remember, but they aren't brought up as much as the ruminating. I have to make the conscious effort to remind myself that things were good in my childhood, I've had bad experiences in my adolescence like everyone else, and right now, I have things that I am proud of currently but also bad habits that I would like to practice removing from my livelihood. I hope this helps those that go through ruminating, or any kind of OCD that has them thinking in ways they don't want to but can't help do so. In short, the takeaway from this is if you have trouble deciding if something is worth it or if something is bettering or worsening your life: Ask yourself: "How will engaging in this better my life in the long run?" Thinking about the long term benefits of these short term actions which are typically more in the moment can help with decision making and hopefully gain control of the way you think and decide on things.