Life experiences affect people in a variety of ways. Some people find it easy to move on after a difficult experience, while others find that these experiences have a lasting impact on their mental health. People who struggle to let go of specific events from the past may have experienced trauma.
What is rumination? Rumination is when you're stuck in a loop of repeated negative thoughts about the past, and you can't seem to stop even if you want to. “It's a cycle of excessive worries in which we repeatedly return to the same negative thoughts,” explains Tanya J.
It's hard to let go of the past because, even when we think we're conscious of our limiting beliefs, traumas, and past experiences, there's likely a lot more going on under the surface in the subconscious mind, and this takes time and practice to unlearn and reprogram.
When you say that you can't get over something, you mean that you are very surprised by it: I can't get over the way he behaved at your party - it was appalling!
A feeling of shame; an innate feeling that they are bad, worthless, or without importance. Suffering from chronic or ongoing depression. Practicing avoidance of people, places, or things that may be related to the traumatic event; this also can include an avoidance of unpleasant emotions.
Rumination is one of the co-occurring symptoms found both in anxiety disorders and depression. It is often a primary symptom in Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
Use an Interruption Technique. This is where you jolt your mind out of the obsessive pattern by thinking about something else, moving your body around, giving your brain a new task (such as solving a simple math problem), or even singing to interrupt the ruminating on the past. 3. Re-write the story of the past event.
“According to the American Psychological Association, trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event. Trauma can occur once, or on multiple occasions and an individual can experience more than one type of trauma.” PTSD is the mental health disorder that is associated when someone experiences or witnesses a trauma.
Get out and move. Experts say it's one of the most effective ways to handle the aftereffects of a traumatic event. Deep breathing, gentle stretching, and walking are all good choices. If you want your exercise plan to be a bit more challenging, that can help, too.
If you feel like you need to cry when you get nostalgic, you're not alone. You were probably experiencing restorative nostalgia, the type of nostalgia that can make people sad. Dr. Batcho describes this type of nostalgia as bittersweet because people remember how happy they were at some point in the past.
Unmet goals tend to leave us focused on the goal. Feelings of shame — for example, shame at not achieving what others have, shame at not being good enough — can cause us to overthink things and become stuck in negative thoughts of past failures.
Memories help us regulate our emotions
Such memories can also help us manage strong negative emotions. For example, when someone is feeling sad they can take time to dwell on a positive memory to improve their mood.
Research has indicated that individuals with high emotional reactivity (high neuroticism) and introverted tendencies (low extroversion) are more likely to experience anxiety than other personality types [101].
Is overthinking a mental illness? No, overthinking isn't a recognized mental health condition, but it can be a symptom of depression or anxiety. Overthinking is commonly associated with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), says Duke. GAD is characterized by the tendency to worry excessively about several things.
Try not to be frustrated with yourself if you can't stop thinking about the past. It's a normal and healthy thing that your brain does in order to get your attention. It's saying “hey, this thing needs to integrated into your life now. It's over but I haven't processed it yet.”
Ruminating Thoughts are Stressful
Intrusive, obsessive, and ruminating thoughts are a part of living with ADHD. No matter how hard you try to ignore them, those negative thoughts just keep coming back, replaying in your head over and over.
Rumination Occurs Randomly
Like many symptoms of trauma, it can become disruptive. You may be sitting at your desk at work focusing on a project, or out to dinner with friends, when these thoughts crop up. Suddenly, your mind is elsewhere.
Fight, flight, freeze, fawn: the four types of trauma response. Healthy stress responses aren't inherently negative; they can help you stand up for yourself in the short term. However, while trauma is a major cause of internal upheaval, it may be taken to an unhealthy and wearing extent.