Do you ever find yourself stuck in a cycle of overthinking? Maybe you're lying in bed, replaying a conversation you had earlier or worrying endlessly about an upcoming event. This kind of persistent, repetitive thinking is known as rumination.
Rumination traps you in a loop of anxious thoughts, preventing you from moving forward or finding solutions. It's a common experience, especially for those dealing with anxiety or depression, but it's not limited to people with mental health conditions. Most of us have ruminated at some point, often without even realizing it.
Here, we'll go over what, exactly, rumination is, why it's bad for your mental health, and give practical tips on how to stop.
What is rumination?
Rumination is a thinking pattern that causes your brain to go over the same (usually anxious) thoughts – over, and over, and over again. The American Psychological Association (APA) defines it as “obsessional thinking involving excessive, repetitive thoughts or themes that interfere with other forms of mental activity.”
Even if you weren’t familiar with the terminology, you’ve probably experienced ruminating thoughts before. For example, you may have:
Stayed up late at night stressing about a big presentation or exam the next morning
Continuously replayed an important conversation you had in your mind, like mentally reviewing everything you said and whether it was the “right” thing
Become unable to stop thinking about a first date and worrying about what the other person thinks of you
Rehashed an argument in your mind, thinking about different things you could have said or what you could have done differently
Second-guessed a decision you made, and revisited over and over again whether it was the best one
Gone over a past mistake again and again in your mind, trying to find ways you can make it better
Spiraled thinking about your perceived flaws, which may have led to negative self-talk and self-criticism
Rumination is a common feature of mental health disorders like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or anxiety. But you don’t need to live with a mental illness to experience it – it’s a very common phenomenon, and almost all of us have ruminated at least once in our lives.
Why is rumination bad for you?
Most of us get stuck in rumination spirals because we believe that if we just think about a problem enough, we’ll come up with some sort of solution – which, unfortunately, is typically not the case. In reality, rumination can get in the way of problem-solving, because we’re stuck in a thought pattern that doesn’t allow for creative thinking.
Rumination isn’t logical thinking – it’s not the same as approaching a problem rationally and coming up with potential solutions. When we ruminate, we spiral. We become caught up in a pattern of thinking that causes us to become more and more anxious, which gets us farther and farther from potential solutions.
Hedonia’s Chief Scientific Officer, Prof. Moshe Bar found in his research that:
"People with depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders are more likely to have narrow thought patterns that are restricted to a small range of topics – in other words, rumination. This, in turn, can lead to structural and chemical changes in the brain.
Because rumination restricts you to such a narrow field of thought, you aren’t able to look at situations from multiple angles. Usually, this means that you’re stuck in a negative loop, and aren’t able to see things from other, more positive perspectives.
For example, let’s say you’re ruminating about finances. You spent too much money while on vacation, and now have a tight budget for the rest of the month. You repeatedly criticize yourself for overspending; you’re having thoughts like, “Why did I do that? Why wasn’t I more careful? I’m so careless!” These thoughts take over your mind, and you’re unable to think of anything else.
These ruminating thoughts start to get in the way of other aspects of your life. For example, you’re not able to be as productive at work because you’re so distracted with these worries. You can’t sleep well at night. Your loved ones notice that you’re not really present. Meanwhile, you’re no closer to finding a solution to your financial problems.
Taking away rumination doesn’t mean that you stop thinking about the situation altogether. You simply stop ruminating on it – you stop cycling through the same unhelpful, anxious thoughts over and over again.
For example, you might be able to see the situation from a more positive angle: “Things will be a little tight this month, but that was a once-in-a-lifetime vacation I’ll never forget.” Or, you might sit down and actively problem-solve by creating a budget or looking for additional streams of income.
How to stop ruminating
Prof. Bar’s research has found that thinking wider and more creatively – the opposite of rumination – can help significantly relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression. In order to think in these ways, we need to learn how to stop ruminating.
Here are some strategies and tools you can use to end the cycle of rumination and learn to think more flexibly.
Let your mind wander
Prof. Bar and his team have found that a wandering mind is our brains’ most natural state – the human brain spends nearly 50% of its waking hours simply wandering. Mind-wandering plays an important role in brain health and can be a key way to stop rumination and widen your imagination.
Sometimes, especially if you live with anxiety or depression, you might find that your mind naturally wanders toward the negative – so it’s important to be intentional about how you want to spend your mind-wandering time. Try to allow your mind to drift from one topic to the next, without getting stuck on any of them. This can train it to move away from rumination (which causes you to get stuck on one thought without drifting to the next) and think more flexibly and creatively.
Try grounding techniques
Another strategy you can try to stop ruminating is grounding. Grounding is about getting out of your head and returning to the present moment in the physical realm.
One popular grounding technique is called 5-4-3-2-1. This technique helps you get in touch with the present moment by using your 5 senses.
First, name 5 things you can see around you. It can help to name the color and shapes of each item.
Second, name 4 distinct sounds you can hear.
Next, name 3 things you can feel. Pick these items up and notice their weight, temperature, and texture.
Now find 2 things you can smell. You may need to pay close attention to distinguish between smells.
Lastly, taste one thing – take a sip of water or chew a piece of gum.
Going through your five senses can ground you to where you are physically, right now, when you’re getting lost in your ruminative thoughts.
Seek professional mental health support
Occasional rumination happens to all of us. But if you find yourself ruminating constantly, or to the point where it’s interfering with your daily life, then it could be a sign of an underlying mental health disorder like anxiety, depression, or OCD.
If you live with a mental health condition, getting professional mental health treatment can be helpful – and, in some cases, necessary. Therapy and psychiatric medications are two of the most common mental health treatments available, although there are newer treatments as well.
Getting mental health support isn’t something to be ashamed of, and you don’t need to wait until you’re in a crisis to seek help. Talking with a therapist or healthcare provider about your mental health can help you become more resilient and brainstorm strategies to reduce rumination before it gets any worse.
Use Facilitating Thought Progression (FTP) exercises
Facilitating Thought Progression, or FTP, is a groundbreaking way to break out of a ruminative style of thinking and train your brain to make more creative and flexible connections. FTP helps you to keep your thoughts moving in creative and flexible directions rather than get stuck in a ruminative loop.
Amazingly, studies have found that any activity that helps your brain make new connections can be used as a form of FTP. For example, our innovative mobile game Mood Bloom™ includes therapeutic challenges like word association games, creative imagery games, and more to help your brain learn a broader, more flexible way to think.
In other words, rumination is about the style of thinking, not the content of your thoughts. FTP helps you think in ways that break rumination patterns.
Takeaway
We all fall prey to rumination sometimes – we might even mistakenly believe that, by going over something repeatedly in our minds, that we’ll come up with a solution. In reality, rumination only serves to keep us stuck in the same thought spirals and prevents us from coming up with innovative solutions.
On top of other strategies, like talking to a therapist, using grounding techniques, and allowing your mind to wander, Facilitating Thought Progression can help you break the pattern of rumination and think more creatively and expansively.
Mood Bloom™ is an innovative mobile game that brings the benefits of Facilitating Thought Progression to your device. Studies show that just playing Mood Bloom for 10 to 15 minutes a day can help reduce rumination and decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Ready to Play Your Way to Well? Download Mood Bloom today!
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