Find a way to distract yourself. 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. A 2014 study found that after a 90-minute nature walk, people reported fewer symptoms of rumination.
Finding a pleasurable activity or distraction often helps break the cycle of rumination. Using some of your own unique interests or self care can help find something that works for you. Mindfulness is a mediation practice that focuses on paying attention to your thoughts.
Many different mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), may involve ruminating thoughts. However, in some cases, rumination may just occur in the wake of a specific traumatic event, such as a failed relationship.
Habit reversal behavior therapy is used to treat people without developmental disabilities who have rumination syndrome. People learn to recognize when rumination occurs and to breathe in and out using the abdominal muscles (diaphragmatic breathing) during those times.
Rumination involves repetitive thinking or dwelling on negative feelings and distress and their causes and consequences. The repetitive, negative aspect of rumination can contribute to the development of depression or anxiety and can worsen existing conditions.
Rumination is a repetitive thought pattern that can be negative (focusing on the past) or anxious (focusing on the future). It is common in people with ADHD and can cause emotional distress. It's not the same as overthinking, which is when someone excessively thinks about simple things before taking action.
Learning to 'let go' and stop rumination processes early on can help us focus on and make more of the present moment, thus curbing depression and anxiety.
Rumination is a behavior and not a mental health condition. It's a common symptom in anxiety and mood disorders, though. But it doesn't have to be permanent. You can learn to manage it.
Importantly, however, rumination is not only related to depression, but is involved in the development and/or maintenance of a broad range of disorders, including post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, insomnia, eating disorders, somatic symptom disorder, and substance use disorders2, 3.
It's just another indication of elevated stress and/or fatigue. It's not an indication of serious mental illness. Most people experience stuck thoughts from time to time. It becomes more prevalent when stress and fatigue are factors.
Examples of temporary rumination can be: Continually worrying about an upcoming test. Reliving an important conversation. Thinking about a meaningful event that happened in the past.
People who are distressed by recurring, unwanted, and uncontrollable thoughts or who feel driven to repeat specific behaviors may have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The thoughts and behaviors that characterize OCD can interfere with daily life, but treatment can help people manage their symptoms.
The first records of ruminate come from the 1500s. It derives from the Latin verb rūmināre, meaning “to chew the cud.” Rūmināre comes from the Latin rūmen, which gives us the English rumen—the first of four compartments in the stomach of ruminant animals.
Indeed, research has linked this tendency toward overthinking with numerous harmful behaviors, particularly overeating and drinking too much alcohol, as well as health consequences such as an increased risk of developing depression, anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure and other toxic effects.
An alternative is to try the 5 minute rule: when you notice you are dwelling on a problem, keep going for 5 minutes. Then if it hasn't helped, do something else. Ask yourself, is there some fear around that something bad might happen if you stopped?
2003). The phenomenon of 'chewing the cud' or rechewing the previously ingested rumen contents is considered to be a unique feature of ruminants (Ruckebusch 1993). Rumination is induced because of mechanical stimulation of nerve endings by the coarse and ridged feed particles in the region of the esophageal opening.
Myth: Rumination gets worse with age.
From there, rates of rumination increase, with the highest levels of ruminators being under the age of 25. Rates of rumination then begin to decline with age. Older adults, those 63 and older, ruminate the least.
Obsessing and ruminating are often part of living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). No matter how hard you try to ignore them, those negative thoughts just keep coming back, replaying themselves in an infinite loop. You know it's not healthy, but you can't seem to stop yourself. It makes sense.