Stuck? Untangle a problem in five steps

What is the problem-solving exercise?

When something is weighing on you, it's easy for your mind to shrink to "what do I do?" and go round in circles. The problem-solving exercise breaks that tangle into five fixed steps: put the problem in one sentence, come up with several ideas, weigh them, set a first step, and review how it went on a day you choose.

The steps come from the problem-solving model that American psychologists D'Zurilla and Goldfried set out in the 1970s, later developed by D'Zurilla and Nezu into problem-solving therapy, a branch of cognitive behavioural therapy. Reviews pooling many studies have found it helps ease depression, though most of those studies were led by a therapist.

It suits problems you can do something about, such as work arrangements, money, or disagreements at home. If what troubles you is mostly a feeling, looking after that feeling first will suit better. If the problem involves violence or threats, debt you can't cope with, or being about to lose your home, please get real-world support as well: the exercise lists places such as the Social Welfare Department hotline.

This exercise isn't therapy and doesn't replace professional support. If the same kind of problem keeps coming back, or it's affecting your sleep and mood, working through it with a counsellor will take you further.

How it works

1. 1Put something that has you stuck into one concrete sentence, rate how stuck you feel (0 to 10), and write what "a bit better" would look like.
2. 2Stick each idea up as a note: quantity first, no judging, aiming for five or more. If you run dry, prompts help you find a new angle.
3. 3Pick the two or three most promising, write one upside and one cost for each, guess how hard each is, and choose one to try first.
4. 4Shrink it into a first step you can do this week, with the day, time and place, then rate how stuck you feel again.
5. 5Set a day to review. Come back then to record how it went, and decide whether to keep going, adjust, or switch ideas.

References

1. D'Zurilla, T. J., & Goldfried, M. R. (1971). Problem solving and behavior modification. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 78(1), 107–126.
2. Nezu, A. M., Nezu, C. M., & D'Zurilla, T. J. (2013). Problem-solving therapy: A treatment manual. Springer.
3. Cuijpers, P., de Wit, L., Kleiboer, A., Karyotaki, E., & Ebert, D. D. (2018). Problem-solving therapy for adult depression: An updated meta-analysis. European Psychiatry, 48, 27–37.