Post-traumatic stress disorder often involves ruminating about traumatic memories. Researchers believe that rumination may be an intentional way to understand and process the trauma, although the results are ultimately ineffective. Ruminative thinkers repeatedly go over the same information without change and stay in a negative mindset. The unproductively negative focus it takes is the defining aspect of rumination that differentiates it from regular problem-solving. Rumination may involve going over the details of a situation in one’s head or talking to friends about it.
how to let go of the past and anger can help with ruminative thinking. Properly dealing with negative emotions can also help with rumination and the feelings of stress that come with it. Rumination involves negative thought patterns that are immersive or repetitive. Emotional processing, by contrast, may start out this way, but leads to acceptance and release of negative emotions, while rumination keeps you “”stuck.”” Call a friend — and talk about anything but the thoughts troubling you. Exercise, tackle some chores, work on a puzzle, watch a movie, or spend time in nature.
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. The process of continuously thinking about the same thoughts, which tend to be sad or dark, is called rumination. Try seeking out a therapist who does EMDR, which can help you process distressing thoughts or memories. If counseling and therapy don’t help, start searching for a different counselor or therapist. Be aware that differences in religious views, ethics, culture and background between therapist and client can interfere with even a good therapist’s ability to help. Klare Heston is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker based in Cleveland, Ohio.
Take this quick quiz to see if therapy for anxiety could be right for you. For the purpose of this blog, we will further focus on how it impacts anxiety. Rumination occurs when you have constant and repetitive thoughts about something; typically, a problem or situation.
Let this ground you in the present moment as your thoughts begin to dissolve into the background. Although rumination seems to be more central to depression, it is actually one of the similarities between depression and anxiety. In depression, rumination perpetuates feelings and thoughts of inadequacy. This can also then heighten feelings of anxiety given the overwhelming nature of ruminative thoughts. It can be easy to perpetuate a cycle of anxiety with ruminative thoughts if there is an upcoming stressor or potential conflict.
Therapists specialize in helping people with thought disorders. After all, most of our problems are caused by our thinking. If you’re struggling with ruminating thoughts, it may be time to find a therapist who will help you reframe your thinking to be more productive. Without a trained therapist, you might find yourself getting stuck in ruminating thoughts instead of stopping them as they come to the surface. With cognitive-behavioral therapy, you can learn many strategies to help you cope with ruminating thoughts so that they have a smaller negative impact on your life. Various mental health disorders include symptoms of rumination.