Ruminating: Two Tips You Can Try to Stop

Have you ever caught yourself going over the same scenario or thoughts in your head over and over again? It can get overwhelming at times can't it? The concept of ruminating means looking at or running over a thought over and over in your mind. It is a term we use in the context of our thoughts, however the literal definition refers to a cow regurgitating its food to chew on repeatedly. From this, you can see why we use the term - we are chewing on what are usually negative thoughts in a repetitive cycle. Rumination is different from processing past situations and dissecting things with an end goal of resolution. Rumination leads to us focusing on and cycling through the negative aspects of said scenario. Many studies have indicated that people are more unhappy when they spend time allowing their minds to wander. With rumination, we are allowing our minds to wander in negativity, leading to a continued state of anxiety and discomfort. What can we do? These are two things that may help: 1. Being Mindful Try spending more time being mindful. Mindfulness ins the practice of being in the present moment, in your current situation without judgment. Bringing your attention to what you are currently thinking and doing while observing how your five senses are being affected has a strong grounding effect. You are now actively participating in the present moment which then turns off your default mode of thinking. This in turn removes the amount of time spent ruminating. If you are interested in listening to a guided mindfulness session, check out the Satuppada Youtube Channel (Satuppada - YouTube). 2. Create an action plan The second tip is creating an if/then action plan. Step one is taking a pen and paper and writing out a list of signs that you are ruminating. This can include things like fidgeting, feeling like your heart is racing, biting your nails/lips or rocking. Step two is creating a plan for what you can do when you notice that you are ruminating. This is where the mindful part comes into play. Paying attention to your triggers and making note of when you start to display any of the signs from your list. You want to be mindful of your thoughts and redirect your attention from focusing on the same patterns of thinking to an activity that you enjoy. #satuppada #mindfulness #ruminating #tipstostoprumination #selfcare