10 Tips to Help You Stop Ruminating
What is rumination?
Has your head ever been filled with one
single thought, or a string of thoughts, that just keep repeating… and
repeating… and repeating themselves?
The process of continuously thinking about
the same thoughts, which tend to be sad or dark, is called rumination.
A habit of rumination can be dangerous to
your mental health, as it can prolong or intensify depression as well as impair
your ability to think and process emotions. It may also cause you to feel
isolated and can, in reality, push people away.
What causes ruminating?
People ruminate for a variety of reasons.
According to the American Psychological Association, some common reasons for
rumination include:
belief that by ruminating, you’ll gain
insight into your life or a problem
having a history of emotional or physical
trauma
facing ongoing stressors that can’t be
controlled
Ruminating is also common in people who
possess certain personality characteristics, which include perfectionism, neuroticism,
and an excessive focus on one’s relationships with others.
You might have a tendency to overvalue your
relationships with others so much that you’ll make large personal sacrifices to
maintain your relationships, even if they’re not working for you.
Tips for addressing ruminating thoughts
Once you get stuck in a ruminating thought
cycle, it can be hard to get out of it. If you do enter a cycle of such
thoughts, it’s important to stop them as quickly as possible to prevent them
from becoming more intense.
As when a ball is rolling downhill, it’s
easier to stop the ruminating thoughts when they first start rolling and have
less speed than when they’ve gathered speed over time.
So, what can you do to stop these
obsessive thoughts from running through your mind?
Here are 10 tips to try when you begin to
experience the same thought, or set of thoughts, swirling around your head:
1. Distract yourself
When you realize you’re starting to
ruminate, finding a distraction can break your thought cycle. Look around you,
quickly choose something else to do, and don’t give it a second thought.
Consider:
calling a friend or family member
doing chores around your house
watching a movie
drawing a picture
reading a book
walking around your neighborhood
2. Plan to take action
Instead of repeating the same negative
thought over and over again, take that thought and make a plan to take action
to address it.
In your head, outline each step you need to
take to address the problem, or write it down on a piece of paper. Be as specific
as possible and also realistic with your expectations.
Doing this will disrupt your rumination. It
will also help you move forward in the attempt to get a negative thought out of
your head once and for all.
3. Take action
Once you’ve outlined a plan of action to
address your ruminating thoughts, take one small step to address the issue.
Refer to the plan you made to solve the problem you’ve been obsessing over.
Move forward with each step slowly and
incrementally until your mind is put at ease.
4. Question your thoughts
We often ruminate when we think we’ve made
a major mistake or when something traumatic has happened to us that we feel
responsible for.
If you start ruminating on a troubling
thought, try putting your repetitive thought in perspective.
Thinking more about how your troubling
thought might not be accurate may help you stop ruminating because you realize
the thought makes little sense.
5. Readjust your life’s goals
Perfectionism and unrealistic goal setting
can lead to rumination. If you set goals that are unrealistic, you may start to
focus on why and how you haven’t reached a goal, or what you should have done
to reach it.
Setting more realistic goals that you’re
capable of achieving can reduce the risks of overthinking your own actions.
6. Work on enhancing your self-esteem
Many people who ruminate report
difficulties with self-esteem. In fact, lack of self-esteem can be associated
with increased rumination. It’s also been linked with increased risk of
depression.
Enhancement of self-esteem can be
accomplished in many ways. For instance, building on existing strengths can add
to a sense of mastery, which can enhance self-esteem.
Some people may choose to work on the
enhancement of self-esteem in psychotherapy. As you enhance your self-esteem,
self-efficacy may also be enhanced. You may find that you’re better able to
control rumination.
7. Try meditation
Meditating can reduce rumination because it
involves clearing your mind to arrive at an emotionally calm state.
When you find yourself with a repeating
loop of thoughts in your mind, seek out a quiet space. Sit down, breathe
deeply, and focus on nothing but breathing.
8. Understand your triggers
Each time you find yourself ruminating,
make a mental note of the situation you’re in. This includes where you are,
what time of day it is, who’s around you (if anyone), and what you’ve been
doing that day.
Developing ways to avoid or manage these
triggers can reduce your rumination.
9. Talk to a friend
Ruminating thoughts can make you feel
isolated. Talking about your thoughts with a friend who can offer an outside
perspective may help break the cycle.
Be sure to speak with a friend who can give
you that perspective rather than ruminate with you.
10. Try therapy
If your ruminating thoughts are taking over
your life, you may want to consider therapy. A therapist can help you identify
why you’re ruminating and how to address the problems at their core.
Lifestyle changes
If you’re a long-time ruminator who wants
to bring an end to your repetitive negative thoughts, here are some simple
changes you can make to your life that can help do just that:
Be proactive in trying to solve your
problems. First identify problems in your life and then start taking actions to
solve your problems, one step at a time
Set your own expectations. Negative
ruminating thoughts can creep in when we question our self-worth. Praise
yourself for your successes and forgive yourself for your mistakes. Constantly
work on building your self-esteem by taking care of yourself and doing things
you enjoy and excel at.
Create a support system. Having friends and
family members, and maybe even a therapist, any of whom you can call on for
help when something goes wrong or when you’re having a bad day, is so
important. These special people may distract you from your ruminating thoughts
and are also likely to boost your self-esteem.
It is possible to stop ruminating
If you’re a ruminator, it’s important to
know some tips that may help you to stop your thought cycle in its tracks before
it spirals out of control.
It’s also important to be proactive and
take steps to prevent yourself from ruminating in the first place.
With awareness and some lifestyle changes, it’s
possible to free yourself from ruminating thou
Comments
Post a Comment