Are There Helpful Methods To Stop Unhelpful Ruminating?

Mental health can mean many things to many people. After all, mental health should not be feeling happy 100% of the time. It’s about going through life with healthy, capable emotions being able to deal with them maturely, and understanding what they are. For example, everyone feels a little jealous from time to time, but learning that this isn’t a good emotion to act upon and listen to is part of being an adult, and also part of keeping your daily wellbeing.

As such, you may find that your approach to your own mental health or emotional wellness is like continually corralling a misbehaving child. But what if we could stop the need to continually ruminate, making certain challenges like anxiety or depression worse in the long run? How might that work in practice?

Never fear, because in this post we hope to help you with exactly that. Without further ado, let’s consider some helpful methods of stopping unhelpful rumination:

Recognize The Pattern

The truth is that too often we can get so caught up in our thoughts that we don't even realize we're ruminating. Luckily, you can get better at that, by paying attention to your thought patterns. Ask yourself when you can - are you replaying the same scenario in your head repeatedly? Are you fixating on a problem without actually working towards a solution? Are you still cringing over that memory almost no one but you remembers? What triggered it?

This awareness doesn't mean you need to constantly monitor your thoughts, which could lead to more stress. Instead, try to develop a gentle awareness of your mental habits and how you talk to yourself. For example, if you disparage yourself as a person immediately after remembering that memory, you could train yourself not to do that, or counter it with a positive thought. This way, you break the pattern more easily.

Engage In Mindfulness Practices

Mindfulness, like hypnosis for anxiety and other conditions, can be a powerful utility against rumination. Here you’ll keep your attention on the present moment, allowing you to interrupt the cycle of repetitive thoughts or to just watch thoughts go by in general. This doesn't mean you need to start a rigorous meditation practice to wipe your mind of any thinking, but even simple mindfulness exercises can help you see them and not necessarily feel urged to respond to those thoughts.Try focusing on your breath for a few minutes each day while sat comfortably with your eyes closed. When you notice your mind wandering back to ruminative thoughts, gently guide your attention back to the present. Over time you get better at this, and you’ll ruminate much less severely as a result.

Challenge Those Thoughts

Sure, rumination is about thinking too much without end and that’s not always helpful. But sometimes, it’s good not to ignore those worse thoughts and even seek help if you need to. For example, when you catch yourself ruminating, ask yourself a couple of questions about the narrative you’re telling yourself. Is it based on facts or feelings? Are you jumping to conclusions or making assumptions? What evidence do you have for and against these thoughts?  It might help you let go of stories you tell yourself, and that could be fruitful.

With this advice, you’ll be sure to stop ruminating, but without forcing yourself to stop thinking, an impossible task to begin with.

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