One of the best ways to stop ruminating is to divert your attention and distract yourself. But, you could also do other things like avoiding certain triggers, practicing mindfulness, or setting a worry timer. A lot of how you cope or stop ruminating is going to be based on you and your unique needs.
Rumination Is Often A Sign Of OCD
Many people with rumination also struggle with misdiagnosed OCD. The first step to getting help is an accurate clinical assessment and diagnosis. NOCD’s therapists will provide a comprehensive assessment of your experience. If they find that you do not meet the criteria for OCD, they will still help assist you in identifying what you may be experiencing. Get Started With A Free 15 Minute Call
What Is Rumination?
The American Psychiatric Association defines rumination as “repetitive thinking or dwelling on negative feelings and distress and their causes and consequences.”1 For lots of people this can look like repeatedly, but passively trying to analyze problems, distress, or general concerns.2 It’s thinking about the same things over and over, but feeling unable to break free.
Rumination is different from intrusive thoughts, which tend to be unplanned, alarming, and feel as if they come out of nowhere. Rumination doesn’t feel as alerting and most people have more control over stopping rumination. But, they do have similarities. For example: both ruminating and intrusive thoughts tend to be upsetting and distressing. Intrusive thoughts can also lead to ruminating.
What Causes Rumination?
There’s no single cause to rumination. But, research has found that traumatic past experiences or troublesome life events can play a role in whether or not someone develops ruminative thought patterns.1 Mental health conditions also place people at higher risk to ruminate, like obsessive compulsive disorder and other anxiety disorders such as, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social phobia, and agoraphobia. Other conditions like depression, autism, and ADHD can also cause rumination.
At its core, rumination is a coping mechanism the mind uses to help feel more in control of something that is, or was, out of control. At first it may feel like it is helping you, but over time, rumination begins to feel more like a burden.
How to Stop Ruminating
The good news is, it’s possible to stop ruminating. While the brain may turn to this as a coping mechanism, it doesn’t mean you have to let it be your only way to cope. There are tools and strategies you can use to decrease ruminating and see improvement.
Here are 10 tips for how to stop ruminating:
1. Set a Time Limit
Grab your phone, ask a smart device, or use an old fashioned kitchen timer. Give yourself a designated amount of time to ruminate. Once the timer goes off that’s your reminder to stop and move on to another activity instead. Setting a timer can help “trick your brain into losing enthusiasm for it [rumination].”2
2. Use Thought Stopping Techniques
Thought stopping techniques, also known as thought suppression, is a cognitive technique where the person deliberately tries to stop unwanted or distressing thoughts. Research on thought stopping is mixed and not everyone has a positive reaction. This technique is also not appropriate for every diagnosis, so it’s important to be mindful of how this practice is impacting you and to stop if you feel it’s making symptoms worse.3
3. Divert Your Attention
Diverting your attention (distraction) is finding something else to think about or do to occupy your mind. The goal is to find activities that help prevent you from thinking about the problem or worry. Over time, you give your brain permission to think about something else.
It’s important to note that diverting or distracting is different from avoidance. Avoidance is actively trying to get away or avoid a problem/thought. When using distraction or diverting, you acknowledge the thought is present, but you try to find something else to do instead.
4. Identify Triggers
Each time you notice you start to ruminate, make a note. Write down where you are, who you’re with, what’s happening around you, and the day or time. Over time you may start to notice there are certain situations or events that lead you to ruminate. Being aware of these can help you prepare yourself for how to cope in those moments.
5. Plan Ahead
Lots of people try to avoid thinking about their rumination, hoping it will go away. Unfortunately, avoidance and hoping it won’t happen doesn’t give you the tools you need to stop. And, if you’re going to think about ruminating anyway, why not think about what you can do to stop it? Creating a plan can help you decrease ruminating and feel more in control.
Treatment For OCD
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6. Commit and Immerse Yourself to the Present Moment
Also known as mindfulness, “it involves observing thoughts and emotions from moment to moment without judging or becoming caught up in them.”4 When you engage in mindfulness, you recognize your mind starts to ruminate, but instead of leaning into the thoughts, you calmly return to the present moment. Returning to the present moment may also make it harder to immerse yourself in rumination, because rumination tends to surround the past or future.
7. Remove Yourself
If you feel caught up in ruminating, it’s okay to remove yourself from the situation you are in and take a moment to decompress or identify what you can do to cope. Sometimes we need to take a second to reset, refocus, or calm down. How you remove yourself will likely be unique to you and the situation.
8. Talk to a Therapist
Ruminating is very common, especially if you struggle with depression or anxiety. It can be difficult to navigate and overcome on your own. A therapist will not only be a support to help you feel less shame about what you are going through, but can also help you with skills to overcome ruminating. In fact, it’s what they are trained to do!
9. Identify What You Can & Cannot Change
Ruminating often focuses on areas completely out of your control. We can’t change what we’ve been through, but we can change how we look at the situation. For example: if something bad happened, what is in your control that you can change so it doesn’t happen again? What can you do? When we focus on things within our control we regain power over that situation versus it taking power over us.
10. Say the Thoughts Out Loud
Thoughts always feel more real and valid in our head, but can change when we say them out loud. If you are ruminating, try ruminating out loud. You can say the thoughts as they are in your head, or pretend you are talking to someone else about it. In fact, research has shown there are benefits to saying things out loud instead of only relying on our internal dialogue.5
When to Seek Professional Support
If you feel ruminating is a daily occurrence, starts to impact your ability to be present with friends or family, is getting in the way of your work, or is leading you to have other negative thoughts, it may be time to reach out. You may also just feel exhausted, defeated, as if your thoughts aren’t in your control, and like nothing is ever going to get better.
As mentioned above, therapists are trained professionals who can help you not only decrease your ruminating, but help you uncover the root behind what may be leading you to ruminate. If you need help finding a therapist check out an online therapist directory or online therapy platform. There’s no shame in reaching out for help.
In My Experience
In my experience people hate ruminating. At first they feel like it might be helpful, but over time it starts to feel draining, monotonous, and annoying. The brain makes us feel like it’s the best solution, but over time it starts to become more problematic. It’s also helpful to know that the skills used to stop ruminating take time and practice. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see change right away.
Additional Resources
To help our readers take the next step in their mental health journey, Choosing Therapy has partnered with leaders in mental health and wellness. Choosing Therapy is compensated for marketing by the companies included below.
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For Further Reading
- Steps to Stop Ruminating
- Stop Ruminating or “Thinking too much”
- Worry, Rumination & Insomnia
- Ruminating Thought Worksheet
- Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think Second Edition by Dennis Greenberger (Author), Christine A. Padesky (Author), Aaron T. Beck (Foreword)
- NOCD Review: Pros & Cons, Cost, & Who It’s Right For
- Best OCD Books
- Best OCD Podcasts
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