Managing rumination
Stop the rumination
Ruminative worry can have a life of its own, consistently interfering with all other thoughts. It is important to break this cycle. First of all, identify the thought or fear. What is your biggest fear? Maybe you are afraid of getting fired or looking foolish in front of others. Journaling can be a great way to clarify the underlying fear.
Think about the worst-case scenario. This may not sound like a good thing to do, but we can often handle the worst-case scenario, which diminishes the power of the original thought.
Ask yourself two questions:
What is the worst thing that can happen?
Can I handle that?
Most likely, the answer is yes. Human beings are very resilient. Remember, sometimes our biggest hardships can turn into our biggest growth experiences.
Let go of what you can’t control. Ask yourself “what can I change, if anything?” If you cannot change the situation, let it go. For things you can change, set up a list of small goals and make the appropriate changes.
Schedule in time to worry
Schedule 20 to 30 minutes a day to worry and make the most of it. This allows for a time and place to think about all your biggest insecurities while containing it to a specific period of time. At other times of the day, remind yourself that you will have time to think about it later.
Problem solving
One of the key ways in which you can learn to stop ruminating is learning problem-solving techniques so you can address and reverse the paralysing effects of rumination.
The first step is to ask the right questions: for example, instead of asking “why did that happen?”, you should choose an action-focused question such as “what can I do about it?”. Then move onto the basic steps of problem solving:
Concretely identify a problem (use your journaling to help work out what the real worry is)
List the problem-solving options
Pick one of the options
Write out a detailed plan of action, broken down into each of the steps you will take
Once you have made your plan, use it to help combat those ruminating thoughts, tell yourself gently: ‘Stop, I have a plan in place.’
Learn to think about mistakes in a different light
The way we feel about mistakes depends on how we frame them and talk to ourselves about them. Look at mistakes as learning opportunities – some highly successful people believe ‘the quickest way to find success is to fail over and over again.’ Looking for the lessons in things can actually help us in life, ask yourself:
What is the lesson I learned?
What can I do differently next time?
What can I take with me from this situation to find meaning in it?
Distraction
The third technique involves not giving your mind time or space to engage in harmful brooding. Instead, keep your mind occupied with something that you find interesting or motivating. This could be anything from singing, volunteering, or exercising.
The important thing is to choose a constructive distraction instead of falling into unhealthy distractions like drinking or over-eating.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness can increase awareness into your own thinking patterns and reinforces your ability to identify triggers or to realise when negative intrusive thoughts reach a point of no return.
Mindfulness-based techniques aim to help someone gain insights into how their own brain functions by making individuals focus on their present state. They help suppress the impulse of obsessively focusing on past events.