In this example, John is creating more distress for himself by focusing on things that are not in his control, such as national and local news stories and fear of making a “wrong” decision. In this situation, John would be better off detaching from the decision itself, and redirecting his focus to how he can make the best of either experience.
If he decides to attend in-person classes, he could follow the university’s COVID-19 guidelines and come up with a plan to minimize the chances that he will contract COVID-19. This could include being sure to have PPE and sanitizing materials and accepting that his experience will still be very different than the “traditional” college experience.