Rumination and Getting Unstuck
Rumination pops its head up in our lives when we get stuck with dwelling over the causes and consequences of things. Rumination is that negative loop in your head. That loop can continue for hours, repeating without end. Like a sort of ear worm that has wiggled itself in deep and doesn’t seem like we can get it out. Dealing with rumination is difficult and frustrating. Rumination can mask itself as problem solving, tricking you into keeping you stuck in the worry cycle. Rumination can waste a lot of time and energy, mentally draining you. When we are ruminating, we are shinning a spot light on a particular thought, it stands our more than the rest and catches our attention. The urge to ruminate then becomes overwhelming. The anxiety and fear might grow stronger and we feel the pull to ruminate to get that relief.
Rumination is a compulsion. A compulsion being a behavior that is intended to reduce distress. Short term relief but ends up reinforcing the cycle and keeping you stuck. Rumination is a common mental compulsion. A behavior that can happen wherever you go. Rumination can disguise itself as problem solving, but eventually the rumination gets out of control and becomes its own problem. The further we go down the rabbit hole of rumination, the longer we are stuck in this worry cycle.
When dealing with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, rumination becomes an easy compulsion as I might look to justify my behavior as problem solving. But the difference between rumination and average problem solving become clearer. Rumination looks to solve problems that are based in doubts, that have not happened yet. I am ruminating over a problem that “might” happen. But what if that problem never happens? Then all I have done is ruminate, cause more distress and waste time in my day. While rumination is common in OCD, it can present itself outside of OCD as well.
Addressing Rumination: In therapy, we will begin to learn the ways to identify and challenge rumination. I like to think of rumination as being on a treadmill. We want to understand that we are running on this treadmill, to get off the treadmill and to stay off the treadmill. Below are some ways we will challenge the rumination.
Goals will aim at:
Building awareness to rumination; how it feels and what it looks like.
Identifying themes and fears of your rumination, for example worrying about my health. What if I get fired? Or will my partner leave me?
Learning the difference between average problem solving and rumination. Understanding when the scale tip towards either.
Re-direction out of rumination. Making a conscious choice to re direct my mind away from the theme of my rumination and back to the present moment. To learn and implement mindfulness practices to keep us present and engaged in the moment. Making a choice in the moment to not continue to analyze these thoughts or fears, to not ruminate over it anymore.
Building up our acceptance towards uncertainty. To know and accept that no amount of rumination will solve whatever we are worried about 100%. Rumination is more than happy to keep us in that worry cycle, where it can continually reinforce itself and make itself stronger. Therapy will help us learn and implement practices of radical acceptance.
Accept that it can come back at any time. To learn how to break the cycle of rumination faster, more consistently each time. We see in this rumination cycle that the harder we try not to think about something, the more it will be on our mind. We look to build a better balance with rumination, that it might occur naturally throughout the day or we will ruminate despite our best efforts. In therapy, you can learn how to break this cycle more effectively, to limit the negative impact rumination has on your life.
For more information, please feel free to reach out and schedule a consultation.
