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Blog Series on Rumination
Have you ever found yourself alone with your thoughts, feeling depressed or discouraged? These moments usually occur while you’re driving home, laying in bed before bed, or even walking through the grocery store. You might want to repeat what you want from a co-worker who made fun of you in front of your boss, get upset that your partner didn’t empty the dishwasher as promised, or think about a friend who is always late and never apologizes.
It is completely normal to think about everyday problems. This type of reflection helps you understand your feelings, identify patterns in situations that bother you, and consider the impact of these issues on your life. Brainstorming can lead to greater self-awareness and problem solving.
However, sometimes negative thoughts become persistent and hard to shake. When this happens, you may feel sad, angry, or guilty for longer periods of time, and it can affect your behavior—like staying in bed, snapping at other people, or canceling plans. It may feel like negative thinking has taken over your life.
What is rumination?
Rumination is when your thoughts revolve around the same problem. The term comes from “ruminant,” which refers to animals like cows that regurgitate their food as part of digestion. Similarly, exposure often involves “scratching” the problem without reaching a solution. While it is often associated with depression and other mental health issues, rumination is common and can help us explore the reasons behind unresolved issues.
Is Rumination Normal?
It’s normal to feel depressed after major life changes, such as losing a loved one, ending a relationship or losing a job. Rumination can help us process and correct these changes. Repeated thoughts about a problem or goal can also be constructive, helping us identify the gap between what we want and what we have, and motivating us to take action.
When Does Rumination Become a Problem?
Rumination becomes a problem when it becomes a mental habit – when you start ruminating over and over again in similar situations. For example, if you have choked while driving before, you may do it again in that context. Over time, this pattern can become automatic.
Rumination vs Sadness
Rumination and worry are both repetitive thought patterns about unresolved issues, and both can lead to depression and anxiety. The main difference is their focus: rumination focuses on past problems and failures, while worry focuses on future threats and uncertainties. In practice, these modes of thinking often overlap, alternating between past and future concerns.
How Can You Reduce Rumination?
Here are some strategies to help break the cycle of rumination:
- Analyze the ABCs (Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence): Examine what happened before you started the rumination (antecedent), the habituation (behavior), and the feelings or actions that followed (consequence). This functional analysis can reveal patterns and help you understand the purpose of your behavior.
- Follow Your Thoughts: When you do it, write down what caused it, and how it affected your mood and behavior. This can help you spot recurring patterns and trends.
- Reward yourself: Plan activities that boost your mood and provide a sense of accomplishment or happiness. Try different activities and notice which ones are most effective in improving your mood.
Dr. It provides psychological services to adults that include assessment and treatment for a variety of conditions including anxiety (eg, general, social, health, panic), obsessive-compulsive (eg, body dysmorphia, skin picking), and depressive disorders (eg, major depression, persistent depression).
Source:
Kircanski, K., Thompson, RJ, Sorenson, J., Sherdell, L., & Gotlib, IH (2018). Daily dynamics of exposure and anxiety: Predisposing events and affective outcomes. Cognition and Emotion, 32(7), 1424-1436.
Watkins, ER (2018). Rumination-based cognitive-behavioral therapy for depression. Guilford Publications.