Get Over Ruminating With These Tips

Get Over Ruminating With These Tips
SHARE

Rumination is a common problem that can lead to depression. It’s the habit of constantly focusing on negative thoughts, often without realizing it. With rumination, you go over and over things that have happened in the past or might happen in the future, and how they make you feel bad.

Instead of helping, this thinking pattern makes you feel worse and can lead to depression. If you notice yourself getting stuck in this pattern, here are some ways to stop ruminating:

 

1. Recognize that you’re ruminating. Label what type of rumination you’re experiencing — am I focusing on something that happened in the past or worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet? Is my focus on myself or others?

2. Notice what triggers your ruminations and try to avoid them (for example, if reading social media triggers your ruminations about other people’s lives).

3. Ask yourself whether what you’re thinking really matters — will it change anything? Ask yourself how long you’ve been thinking about this issue; if it’s been more than five minutes, try to distract yourself with something else instead (even just for 10 minutes).

4. Focus on something else. When you notice yourself thinking about what went wrong, try to redirect your attention to something else. This can be hard if you’re a person who’s always focused on the negative, but it will help break up the cycle of rumination. So instead of thinking about what happened that made you so upset, try doing something else for a while — like listening to music or doing some yoga poses for stress relief.

5. If distracting yourself isn’t helpful, write down your thoughts on paper — don’t worry about grammar or spelling at all; just get everything out there so it’s not in your head anymore!

 


SHARE

Anna is an avid blogger with an educational background in medicine and mental health. She is a generalist with many other interests including nutrition, women's health, astronomy and photography. In her free time from work and writing, Anna enjoys nature walks, reading, and listening to jazz and classical music.

Post Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.