Rumination in Mental Health: What Is It and Why Do We Do It?

A common issue that affects many people is something called Rumination. It is a key symptom across multiple mental health conditions.

When a person ruminates – they repetitively think over a thought or a problem without reaching a conclusion. A vicious cycle can take place, which results in a person’s mental health worsening.

As much as a person tries to avoid what they are ruminating over, they are unable to do so. This article takes a look at rumination.

Please note that this article does not refer to the Eating Disorder called Rumination Disorder – which is a different entity.

What is Rumination?

Rumination is a pattern of repetitive negative thoughts, where a person is unable to stop thinking about something. In some cases, it can take over a person’s life.

For example, someone may ruminate on a past event, thinking about the future, ongoing stress, or trying to solve a problem that has no solution to it.

The process of rumination

The brain is an incredible thing. But it’s advanced nature can cause issues. When someone thinks of a memory, the mind automatically connects other memories that fit how you felt.

When you are ruminating over past events or memories, it can be tough to find a way to think of something else, or push your thoughts to the back of your mind – rumination then intensifies and continues to be a problem.

Overall, the issue is that you think more regarding the problems rather than the solutions. This can build up in your mind to the point where rumination takes hold.

The “vicious cycle” of rumination

Rumination is part of the vicious cycle often seen in Depression and other mental health conditions.

When you have negative thoughts, it can lead you to start acting differently – or not doing the things you used to do. This can easily lead to physical changes – such as increased tiredness, crying or being irritable.

Finally, you go back to thinking about your physical problems and what you could be doing – the cycle will go on indefinitely and can be very difficult to get out of.

Research into rumination

Rumination is a well-researched subject and is generally seen in a negative light. For those who do ruminate, this makes sense.

Research shows that rumination in adolescence is linked to the onset of various mental health conditions, including Depression and Anxiety [1].

Additionally, rumination has also been linked to anxiety, post-traumatic stress, eating disorders and self-harm [2].

How to stop ruminating

While it is difficult to stop ruminating, it is possible! To begin with, it can be recommended to try and focus on positive things – and when times have been better.

Returning to somewhere that you have experienced a positive event can help. Sometimes, it can be helpful to sometimes schedule a set period of time to ruminate – but only allow that time period to be when you ruminate.

Writing down your thoughts too can be helpful – and you could even try and find links in your thoughts. Eliminating and identifying these unhelpful links could be useful.

Meditation has also proven to be useful for some people. While there is no set way of treating rumination, there are different things you can try to attempt to get you out of the difficult cycle.

Summary

As anyone that does ruminate can attest to, rumination is difficult to deal with. It can seem like it is almost impossible to move on from whatever the thought is.

But in time rumination should pass. Seeking treatment in the form of talking therapy can be very helpful. Looking after yourself is crucial!

See Also

• Everything You Need To Know About Talking Therapy
• 10 Ways That Talking Therapy Can Help
• Talking Therapy or Medication: Which is Better for Mental Health Problems?
• List of Types of Therapy for Mental Health
• FAQ’s About Talking Therapy