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Key points
- Rumination can lead to over-drinking, overeating, and a higher risk of depression, among other harmful effects.
- Positive distraction can disrupt the cycle.
- Movement, writing, and incremental progress can positively interrupt rumination.
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Is the call at Eastern or Pacific time? Did I transfer the money? What if I didn't transfer the money and the house payment didn't go through and I need a new client? How can I focus on my job when I've also got to reschedule my daughter's dental appointment and get the dog in for an allergy shot and why haven't I heard back on the book proposal, it's probably going to be rejected, I mean, they probably didn't like it at all otherwise I would have heard back already and it's been a long time since I've done that work so maybe I'm not good enough anyhow and...
Those are the swirling thoughts I woke up to this morning, and the rumination followed me down the hall and into the kitchen, right up until my first sip of coffee.
How Rumination Hurts Us
Spiraling negative thoughts can be a serious threat to our health, well-being, and productivity. When we get looped into repetitive thought patterns about what might happen, what isn't working, our failures, worries, embarrassments, mistakes, or setbacks, our bodies are flooded with cortisol and that can prompt the "brain's runaway stress response," says Steve Ilardi, an associate professor of clinical psychology at the University of Kansas in Lawrence and author of The Depression Cure.
With stressful experiences constantly replaying in our heads, we are more likely to numb ourselves with food or alcohol and run a higher risk of depression, anxiety, and high blood pressure. Plus, we have a harder time sleeping, focusing, and concentrating—all of which make it harder to interrupt the negative thought cycle.
I work alone, spend hours at a desk, and often have to conjure ideas out of my head. Not only does rumination get in the way of that, but it also keeps me from getting other work done and makes me irritable. I feel clogged up and struggle to accomplish anything which leads to feelings of overwhelm and gets me spinning again. So, I've become very diligent about stopping the pattern of spiraling negative thoughts. It isn't easy for me, but it is possible.
How to Avoid the Rumination Trap
Start the day with intense movement. This is a new habit but one I'm sticking to. The first thing I do each morning is two minutes of intense movement. A meta-analysis in Translational Sports Medicine indicates that two minutes of exercise at moderate-to-high intensity can improve your attention, concentration, learning, and memory functions for the next TWO HOURS. Two minutes for two hours seems like a good trade and this has been a helpful way to break free from any worries I wake up with.
Write them out. I write three pages every morning and just lump my thoughts and feelings and worries on the page. it's a brain dump and a helpful way to release any ideas and thoughts both positive and negative. You can also add other worries to the list during the day as they come up with the promise to leave them there and come back later to reflect on them, if needed, for a brief time at the end of the afternoon. For me, once they are on the page, I'm free to move on. No need to come back.
Go for a walk in nature. Not only do studies show that a walk in a green space or natural environment slows the activity in the parts of the brain linked to depression but it can also reduce rumination. And the natural distraction opens our access to awe and other positive states helping us to reframe our fears or worries and develop a more positive view.
Make incremental progress. I've written before of the power of small wins, based on the research of Teresa Amabile, but this is perhaps the most powerful way I break the pattern of rumination. It works as a distraction and also alleviates the feeling of discouragement or overwhelm that often chases after us at the end of the day when we feel like we've frittered away our time without any meaningful accomplishment.
When I'm bombarded by ruminating thoughts, I'll set the timer, using the Pomodoro Technique, and hold myself to a five or 15 or 20-minute time frame to focus on one task, writing the post, or drafting the newsletter or paying the bills, taking the dog out for a walk. I give my all to that activity for the set time frame and take a break when the timer sounds.
During the break, I note what I've accomplished. I pause and appreciate that I wrote a paragraph or got the dog walk completed. I celebrate my incremental progress and then go again. The work interrupts my thought pattern, and the progress I make on the work raises motivation and helps me keep going.
