In everyday life, people often think deeply about a problem or an emotion, which is a normal and sometimes beneficial mental activity. But when this reflection evolves into repetitive, sustained self-criticism, it becomes a phenomenon known as "ruminative thinking."
01
What is rumination?
"Rumination" is a description of an animal chewing its food repeatedly. Ruminative thinking (ruminative thinking) refers to the repetitive, passive thinking of an individual about the event, his or her emotional state, and its possible causes and consequences after experiencing a sad event.
Long-term rumination not only limits an individual's psychological well-being, but can also have serious effects on physical and mental health. It is associated with depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other mood disorders, and its enormous influence acts as a prison for the mind, restricting people's normal lives.
02
Rumination and reflection
In everyday life, it is important to recognize the difference between "reflection" and "rumination".
Reflection is the process of sorting out the occurrence of events, finding out the core problems and seeking solutions to them, which is characterized by:
- Focus on what you want to achieve
- Helps prevent the same mistakes from being made in the future
- It can be started and stopped at any time
Rumination is chewing back and forth on the emotions and consequences of those events, unable to really solve the problem, and is characterized by:
- Focus on unhappy emotions
- Hinder the target's behavior and constantly think about the gap between yourself and the goal
- Once you start, it's hard to stop
Reflection is from a rational point of view, which can bring more meaningful thinking and new insights to yourself. Rumination, on the other hand, is a repetitive, negative and ineffective self-criticism in an emotional state.
03
How to overcome rumination?
1. Ask less "why"
Keep asking yourself "Why?" "It will focus on the cause part of the painful event, and the facts cannot be changed, which can easily lead to self-collapse. "What is it?" should be adopted. This allows you to focus more on your feelings and coping methods in the moment. Ask yourself, "How am I feeling?" "What can I do now?".
2. Accept the established reality
People regurgitate often because they can't accept reality, but the more they "chew", the worse they feel and the less likely they are to respond positively. At this time, we must try to choose to accept reality with a positive and proactive attitude. Reconciling with reality or others is also reconciling with oneself, so that we can look at problems with rational thinking.
3. Take action
Challenge yourself to the bad thoughts in your mind and realize that many bad thoughts are just exaggerated by yourself, and the truth is not as bad as you think. When you don't understand, it's better to move first and choose a small thing that you can act on immediately, so as to jump out of the cycle of rumination.
By taking proactive strategies to make changes, you can mitigate the impact of rumination on your life and move individuals towards a healthier, more resilient state of mind.