Published 13/07/2024 by Rosemary Anne

How to Stop Ruminating Thoughts?

Rumination, defined as the prolonged focus on negative experiences, negative emotions, and deliberate analysis of negative thoughts, can be psychologically draining and harmful to your wellness. This is a common part of obsessive-compulsive disorders and generalised anxiety disorders.

If you are attempting to break the rumination cycle, which is vital for maintaining your mental health and improving your general well-being – this article delivers ideas on how to stop ruminating and spiritual techniques you can easily try at any time of day.

What Is Rumination?

Rumination involves repetitive thinking about the same negative thoughts in a way that doesn't lead to resolution.

For someone obsessing about being stuck in a rut of depression and only focusing on the negative aspects of life, rumination can exacerbate the problem.

In contrast with problem-solving, which aims to address and resolve an issue, rumination keeps people stuck, looping back around to the same negative thoughts and not moving forward or solving their problems.

Examples of Ruminating Thoughts

More people than you might think have struggles with rumination. Identifying your obsessive negative thoughts is the first step in learning how to stop ruminating.

Obsessive rumination disorder is when you can't stop thinking about the same worry about your future, regret about your past, or every potential indifference of an interaction with a coworker, family member or romantic partner, which often is a sign of a mental health issue and poor emotional health.

Naming a specific example or two of a ruminating thought will help you identify the negative thought cycle that's causing you to worry, and it will also help you on the path to developing strategies on how to stop ruminating. Here are some common ruminating thoughts people have, according to mental health professionals:

Worrying About the Future

"What if I fail this exam and ruin my career prospects?"

"What if something bad happens to my family?"

Focusing on Past Mistakes

• "I can't believe I said that during the meeting; everyone must think I'm incompetent."
• "If only I had made a different decision, things would be so much better now."

Overthinking in Relationships

• "Why didn't they text me back right away? Are they mad at me?"
• "Did I do something to upset my partner? They seemed distant."

Catastrophising

• "This headache could be something serious, like a tumour."
• "If I make one mistake, everything will fall apart."

Self-Doubt and Insecurity

• "I'm not smart enough to succeed in this field. I'm going to fail."
• "I'm not attractive enough for anyone to truly love me."
• "I'm always going to be stuck in this situation because I'm incapable of change."

Fear of Rejection or Failure

• "What if I ask for a promotion and my boss says no?"
• "If I try to start my own business, it will probably fail."

Recognising unwanted ruminations is the first step in stopping ruminating thoughts. When you consciously identify these thoughts, you can combat rumination or even change the pattern of rumination to positive ruminative thinking, ruminating only on positive emotions and thoughts.

Worrying About the Future

A common unhealthy thought pattern is a futuristic worry, negative rumination on future outcomes, obsessively anticipating future events, or envisioning hypothetical "What Ifs". This type of obsessive thinking prevents you from seeing or enjoying the present moment, which can lead to chronic stress and anxiety.

To learn how to stop ruminating thoughts like this, practise staying in the present moment and be mindful of things within your control rather than focusing on what may or may not happen in the future.

Focusing on Past Mistakes

Another common intrusive rumination theme is reflecting on past mistakes. This means obsessing over what you could have done differently, feeling guilty or ashamed, and replaying these events in a cycle of distress.

The best way how to stop ruminating about past mistakes is to treat yourself kindly and remind yourself that everyone makes mistakes and that learning from these moments is an integral part of life.

Overthinking in Relationships

Deliberate rumination about others and relationships is a common subject. Specifically, it might involve ruminating on your partner's words, behaviours, or quirks,' or about behaviours that occurred in the past, or worrying endlessly about how the relationship will end.

The most obvious way how to stop ruminating thoughts like these is to talk to your partner about your thoughts, concerns and what has caused them, and hopefully, next time you have a bad idea, you can talk it out rather than having a rumination session in your mind for hours.

Excessively Analysing Interactions

Do you over-analyse body language, tone of voice or the words a person uses when interacting with you? This is a common rumination habit for people with an obsessive thinking process.

You may constantly replay a conversation, overthinking how you might have been seen and fretting that you said or did something wrong.

Try reminding yourself, the next time these thoughts bubble up during the day, that other people are unlikely to be fixating on your behaviour as intently as you are. Let it go when you make small social errors, and allow yourself to get things wrong when it comes to other people.

Once you know the signs of rumination, you can learn how to stop ruminating thoughts and practise ways to take back control of your mind.

There are numerous tried and tested methods that can help, such as mindfulness meditation, practising self-compassion, talking openly with your loved ones, and letting go of striving to be perfect in everyday life.

If you still struggle with rumination after trying the healthy coping strategies in this guide, you could try lots of other treatment options like rumination-focused cognitive behavioural therapy or visiting a clinical psychologist to help improve your mental well-being.

Why Is Rumination Bad?

Depending on the intensity of rumination, adult rumination can be linked to depressive disorders, high-functioning anxiety problems, and other mood disorders.

It is either the cause or one of the symptoms of anxiety, negative moods, or depression. In any event, repeated ruminations on negative events or feelings can make these states even worse.

Over the long term, rumination is associated with higher stress levels, which lead to poor sleep patterns, depression, cardiovascular disease, and even premature death.

Ruminating about a problem creates barriers to solving that problem, and, as we have all experienced, the continued rumination about the problem traps us in a vicious circle.

We become less interested in social contact, less productive and less inclined to get the medical attention we need. We can become grumpy or cynical, and certain personal relationships can become strained. We might become isolated as our feelings of worthlessness or helplessness intensify, worsening our depression.

How to Stop Ruminating?

You can learn how to stop ruminating through awareness, redirection, positive affirmations, mindfulness techniques or professional help.

Recognising when you are ruminating and re-directing your thoughts can be a powerful tool.

Find healthy ways to cope during a negative rumination session and re-direct your thoughts. You can weaken the impact of the negative thoughts and, eventually, reduce their frequency and intensity.

Ruminating thoughts are highly sensitive to change. Re-direct your attention by counting backwards from 1000; Listen to calming music, take a nap, watch comedy films, or go to a place of spiritual worship or meditation. Or pick up the phone and ask a live psychic reader for guided meditation or spiritual techniques to change your focus.

Notice When You're in a Cycle of Negative Thinking

Although there are varied approaches to stopping ruminating, they typically involve the first proactive step of simply recognising that you are engaging in a ruminative cycle. To notice this, pay attention to your stream of thoughts and recognise when you've been caught in the same negative thought for an extended period of time.

You might choose to do this with a formal approach through mindfulness practice, or you might try to notice when your mind goes into rumination mode and catch yourself when it happens, then re-direct your thoughts.

Some people recommend using a worry timer. When you're having repeated worrying thoughts, only allow yourself to think about them until the timer runs out and then distract yourself with something else.

Distract Yourself

This can be a powerful way to stop ruminating thoughts—doing something that occupies your mind and body focuses your thoughts elsewhere.

With hobbies, friends, work, exercise, and other pursuits, there are innumerable possibilities for this kind of redirection. The key is to identify the things that really hold your interest and that you can fully engage with. This is a break from exhausting worrying and has the added benefit of resetting your thinking.

Try a Different Perspective

Another way to stop ruminating thoughts is to see your experience from a different vantage point or consider other potential reasons for what you perceived or witnessed.

Cognitive-behavioural strategies such as countering catastrophising thoughts (e.g., the sky is not falling), reframing unhelpful thoughts (e.g., this difficult experience is not so dire after all), and reinterpreting your emotions (e.g., although this experience is very upsetting, I can tolerate it) can help deflate the emotional charge of your thoughts – making space for you to overcome your negative thoughts more effectively.

Meditation and Grounding Techniques

Yoga teachers, reiki masters and mindfulness experts all say that a great way how to stop ruminating and clear the mind is yoga and mindfulness, along with 'grounding techniques', which involve checking in with your five senses to calm your mind and body, can be strong allies in battling rumination.

Mindfulness meditation can help you stay in the present and create a clear awareness of your thoughts.

Grounding techniques like deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and sensory exercises can help to settle your anxiety, nervous system, and body. They can lower stress responses and anxiety to allow you to notice your negative thinking patterns and ultimately disconnect from them.

Learn Your Triggers

Noticing what sends you down the path of spiralling rumination can help you avoid or learn how to stop ruminating thoughts altogether.

Keep a journal to identify when you ruminate and what common types of triggers send you on a downward spiral into negative thinking. Once you start noticing what seems to be a common trigger point, you can form an 'early intervention' to avoid or control your triggers and take actionable steps to reduce them or re-direct your thought process.

Talk to a Professional

If the grip of rumination has begun to seriously impact your life, it is worth considering speaking with a mental health professional.

A therapist can aid in developing techniques for combating or changing the rumination cycle. CBT (cognitive-behavioural therapy) is a precious tool for combatting negative thinking.

Your therapist would help you pinpoint the root causes of your worrying rumination and guide you towards developing personalised strategies for addressing rumination.

Spiritual Readings

Spiritual readings with Trusted Psychics Australia can help you figure out how to stop ruminating thoughts from continually whirling around in your mind.

Obsessive negative thinking will only bring you down. If you want to begin leading a happier life and create a positive thinking style, you are welcome to call a live psychic reader.

A live psychic reader or live messenger psychic can help you reframe your mindset through spiritual techniques like Reiki healing, grounding techniques, the law of attraction, spiritual meditation and more.

Some fantastic spiritual methods and techniques recommended by wellness experts can help you learn how to stop ruminating and create a positive mindset. Trusted Psychics Australia has all the tips and techniques to help you.

FAQs

How Do I Stop Excessive Rumination?

If you are having excessive, anxious thoughts, try to identify the worrying thoughts and learn how to stop ruminating over them.

A mix of techniques is necessary to rupture ongoing negative thought patterns and substitute them with more adaptive ones. Increase awareness of those moments through mindfulness meditation.

Stay present at the moment rather than worrying about what might or could happen. Divert and engage your attention towards something else. Seek medical help to understand why and how to stop ruminating.

What Is the Root Cause of Rumination?

There are often different reasons why people engage in rumination, but unresolved emotional issues, stress, traumatic experiences and underlying mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.

Many people ruminate because they want to understand how they're feeling or find a solution to a problem. However, the opposite often happens, and rumination exacerbates distress.

Perfectionism, low self-esteem, and a tendency to overanalyse situations can also lead to rumination.

Understanding your trigger points and the root cause of your thoughts is the first step in knowing how to stop ruminating.

How Do You Break a Rumination Cycle?

When you are aware ruminating thoughts have grabbed your attention, you can break the thought cycle by changing your focus to something else.

One simple technique is to pick a specific time each day to 'worry time' and allow yourself to worry then and only then for a specific time period. Outside of this prescribed time, if ruminative thoughts enter your consciousness, remind yourself that you chose to think about these thoughts only in your worry time.

Another way how to stop ruminating is to get moving. Go and do something and keep yourself busy. Try a physical or mental activity requiring high concentration, work, studying, and reading.

Am I Ruminating or Processing?

The difference between ruminating and processing can sometimes be difficult to work out.

Rumination and processing initially seem to make the same kind of cognitive 'attempts' (i.e., thoughts about what happened and emotions).

However, processing goes beyond contemplating in terms of looking for solutions and meaning. This includes unpacking these experiences and creating ways to either gain an advantage from the past or move forward in the present.

You can process by thinking of alternatives, looking for answers to questions, analysing what went right or might have been better, or appreciating what you now know.

Is Rumination Due to Anxiety?

Rumination and anxiety might go hand in hand because the two are associated with worry.

Rumination is widely seen as a core component of anxiety. This stigma impacts how rumination is studied and treated.

For people who already experience anxiety, rumination can sometimes be seen as a way of trying to predict and control threatening events that have little, if anything, to do with actual danger – all too often a temporary relief that perpetuates rolling waves of unwarranted anxiety.

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