Rumination (psychology)
Rumination in psychology refers to the repetitive thinking process where individuals continuously focus on negative experiences or worries without reaching a resolution. This habit can significantly contribute to increased anxiety and depression, particularly in those who are already struggling with these conditions. The term originates from the Latin word "ruminari," which relates to the way certain animals digest food in stages, implying a similar cyclical process in thought. While some degree of rumination can aid problem-solving, excessive dwelling often leads to a heightened sense of failure and low self-worth, exacerbating emotional distress.
Research indicates that rumination is a major factor in the development of various mental health issues beyond depression, including anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Fortunately, psychologists have identified strategies to mitigate the negative impacts of rumination. Techniques such as recalling positive experiences, creating actionable plans to address concerns, or engaging in pleasant activities can disrupt the cycle of negative thinking. Furthermore, while discussing problems can be beneficial, it is essential to approach such conversations carefully to avoid co-rumination, which may intensify distress. Overall, understanding and addressing rumination can empower individuals to improve their mental well-being and cope more effectively with life's challenges.
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Rumination (psychology)
Rumination is what psychologists call the practice of going over and over certain thoughts in one's mind without reaching a resolution. Focusing on a negative experience or something one is worried about has been shown to lead to increased anxiety and depression. Those who are already anxious or depressed can also prolong these states by ruminating. Psychologists have determined some practices people can use to break the cycle of rumination and reduce the chances that negative thoughts will turn into long-term depression and anxiety.
Background
The word ruminate comes from the Latin verb ruminari, which has its origins in the word rumen. Rumen was the Latin name for a cow's first stomach. Ruminari referred to the digestive process used by cows, goats, sheep, and some other animals known as ruminants. These animals have multistage stomachs that allow food to be digested in several different ways before it is fully processed. The animal swallows the food, which is partially digested. It is then regurgitated in a form called a cud, which the animal chews on for a time before swallowing again. Ruminate was first used in the mid-fourteenth century to refer to someone who was "chewing" their thoughts like a cow chews on its cud.
Rumination occurs when a person gets stuck thinking about something negative or unpleasant. After getting an unexpected bad grade, having a fight with a friend, or making a mistake, a person might spend long stretches of time dwelling on what happened. When this is done to find a way to address and fix the problem, rumination is not usually a problem. However, many times people are unable to get past rehashing the experience. When a person dwells on these negative thoughts, it also summons the emotions and feelings that go with them.
The human mind is designed in such a way that related memories are easy to retrieve. When someone is reliving how bad it felt to make a mistake, for instance, the brain turns up other instances where mistakes were made. For some people, this is good because it helps the person realize that it is possible to move past a mistake and learn from it. For others, however, this dramatically adds to the problem. Instead of dealing with one mistake, the person now thinks of all the mistakes that can be remembered. This can lead to feelings of failure and low self-worth.
This type of rumination leads to a person feeling worse instead of better. The bad mood and feelings associated with the recent incident are increased and extended, becoming harder to overcome. This can also lead to other problems, such as self-sabotage. For instance, a person who is upset about a fight she just had with a friend in a restaurant ruminates about the problem all the way home. This leads to a very bad mood. When she gets home, this mood leads to a fight with her roommate over something that would not have upset her on another day. Now she ruminates over both fights, perhaps starting to think that no one likes her and growing anxious about losing all her friends.
Overview
Psychologists have identified rumination as a significant factor in depression and anxiety. Studies have determined that people who ruminate about traumatic experiences such as loss of a loved one are more likely to become depressed or suffer anxiety than those who do not. Researchers found that rumination was a larger factor in determining depression after a traumatic experience than most other factors, including any feelings of self-blame and guilt. Researchers believe that rumination and the negative feelings it causes are a contributing factor in many other mental health conditions besides depression, including anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, and eating disorders.
The widespread effect of rumination does have a potential good side, according to psychologists. Since rumination causes or increases the intensity of so many types of mental health conditions, helping people change rumination habits can reduce the incidents of these conditions as well. The changes can also help the person feel more empowered.
In many cases, psychologists note, the reason a person feels bad about past traumas is because the experiences made the person feel helpless. People sometimes dwell on the experiences and become stuck in their thoughts of how to deal with issues because the past cannot be changed. However, psychologists point out that the way people think about the past can be changed, and this can be very helpful for the person's long-term mental health.
Psychologists recommend breaking the cycle of rumination by remembering similar experiences that turned out good. Instead of focusing on the negative experience, remembering other times when similar experiences turned out good even though it was upsetting at first can end rumination. For instance, instead of ruminating about a bad grade, a person can remember another time when a test grade was lower than expected but some extra credit and extra studying for the next test brought the semester grade up much higher.
Thinking about something else, especially pleasant thoughts that elicit happiness, can also end the rumination process enough to allow the person to move on. The human body responds to thoughts about experiences in a very similar way to how it reacts to the actual experience, so thinking about happy things can actually help dispel the bad thoughts. Music with happy associations is especially good at this because it brings with it the feelings experienced when it was heard before.
Another helpful way to end rumination is to make an effort to create a specific plan to deal with whatever is causing the excessive repetition of the thoughts. The person who is upset about the bad grade might decide to ask the instructor for help with the problem area, seek out a friend who can help with tutoring, or plan to allow more studying time before the next test. A person who is fighting with a friend might write a note to the friend or make plans to sit down with the friend to talk. The key, psychologists say, is to make the plan and then consider the matter settled for the time being. Other suggestions include scheduling ruminating for another time and then setting aside the thoughts until then; this works because it is unlikely the issue will still be a problem.
Talking to someone about the problem can also be helpful. However, experts urge caution with this approach. Studies have shown that sometimes when people start ruminating with someone else, it becomes a co-rumination session that leaves both people more upset.
Bibliography
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