Write it outįor this, consider getting a piece of paper, setting a timer for 2 minutes, and writing all your thoughts down on paper, says Bernstein. Research shows that doing short bouts of exercise and spending time in nature can also help some people with rumination. If you’re able to, change your state of mind or surroundings. You may find that rumination comes up in your quiet moments, like while driving or taking a shower. To build onto this, you may want to write out a solution to any problem your mind comes up with, as a way of interrupting the pattern. You could say things like, “Not knowing what will happen is hard but I can handle anything that comes my way.” When you catch yourself ruminating, try to talk to your brain and tell it to stop, says Bernstein. If you’re thinking about a tough conversation, for example, know that you did the best you could at the time with the tools you had - and if you would’ve known differently, you would’ve done differently. If you live with perfectionist tendencies, consider going easier on yourself. “They replay scenarios in their mind that they feel they did not control the way they wanted to, or worry about not having control in the future and try to think of a way to change it and make it a better situation.”
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“I have found in my practice that my anxious patients are also some of my smartest patients.
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“The possible problems of the future cannot exist in the present.” Adjust your expectations
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“Simple exercises like taking a moment to name one thing you see, smell, taste, feel, and hear pull you out of the future thinking and worrying, and bring you back to the present,” says Kristin Miller, a family physician in Yukon, Oklahoma. Grounding is a somatic exercise that implies bringing your mind to the present moment and focusing on your body sensations. While it may not be easy to pull yourself out of an endless thought loop, it’s possible to manage and stop rumination.Ĭonsider the following tips as a first step: Grounding exercises
CRINGE DEEP IN THOUGHT TRAIN HOW TO
How to stop replaying events or conversations in your head On its own, it may only mean you’re experiencing anxiety about a particular event, and that happens to everyone. To be a symptom of these or other conditions, rumination needs to be present with other specific symptoms. Rumination may also be a symptom of mental health conditions: Obsessive thinking can be a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Obsessions are often unwanted and related more to a fear of possible experiences than recollections of actual events. Rumination often means you replay an event in your mind. In some cases, they may lead you to engage in compulsive rituals to decrease this distress. This can sometimes be confused with obsessive thinking, which is when intrusive and unwanted thoughts become persistent and cause you a great deal of distress. “There’s an idea that forcing ourselves to think about a situation will lead to a solution.” “Rumination can develop as a result of traumatic experiences or the false belief that repeatedly thinking about this one thing can help solve the problem,” says Natalie Bernstein, a psychologist and therapeutic life coach in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It can consume your entire day and make it difficult to stay rooted in the present moment.īut the process isn’t always voluntary, and in any case, you can learn to manage it. The challenge, though, is that rumination can be a difficult treadmill to get off, once you’ve stepped on. It’s an attempt to reduce the anxiety that event may be causing you. You may also find that this helps you plan for a future outcome. The more you replay the details of a conversation, the more you may feel you can interpret what happened. It’s how your mind attempts to self-soothe. Repeating entire conversations in your head is a type of rumination. It may mean you’re replaying life events in an attempt to make sure that next time, you’re prepared and won’t feel as anxious. The word “rumination” describes a process of having certain thoughts on repeat.įor some people, ruminating thoughts are a way to control anxiety.