Published 06/09/2024 by Sarah Lutterloch

How to Stop Ruminating Thoughts - Step-by-Step Guide

Ruminating thoughts are cycles of negative thinking; they involve a mental circuit of stressful events or situations the mind usually returns to or focuses on repeatedly.

Negative, repetitive thinking is exhausting and leaves little mental energy for anything else. Ruminating thoughts are associated with increased anxiety, mental fatigue, and mental health issues.

The good news is that by using various coping mechanisms, it is possible to manage and even minimise the extent of the ruminating thoughts you have. Breaking the cycle of rumination involves bringing more awareness to the situations and thoughts that trigger the compulsive thinking cycle.

The suggestions in this guide cover several innovative methods for reducing ruminative behaviours, all of which are based on real-world experiences and proven psychological techniques.

You'll find some straightforward explanations of what rumination is, some examples of common ruminating thoughts, how rumination can be harmful to your mental well-being, and simple steps that you can take to help stop or at least curb the cycle of rumination.

Here's our step-by-step guide on how to stop ruminating, filled with practical, real-world advice.

What Is Rumination?

Clinical psychologists explain that obsessive rumination disorders are when you repeatedly go over in your mind the same negative thoughts, traumatic life events, or excessive worries for extended stretches of time.

The repetitive worrying thoughts can be about past experiences, current situations, or future events. Rumination is repeating negative thoughts with no real problem-solving or resolution. It is a passive, repetitive process that often leaves you in a spiral of anxiety and depression.

Research demonstrates that frequent rumination sessions are a reliable predictor of mental health problems, especially anxiety and depression. According to findings published in Cognitive Therapy and Research, individuals who habitually ruminate are more likely to experience the duration and severity of depression and stress.

Studies suggest that since rumination worsens the experience of emotional distress without leading to any solution, it significantly maintains emotional distress.

People who have overbearing struggles with rumination may need to access therapy to learn how to stop ruminating by using healthy coping mechanisms.

Examples of Ruminating Thoughts

Negative ruminations can come in different forms depending on your worries or insecurities.

For example, you might find yourself automatically worrying about an event in the future or replaying a mistake from the past in your mind. Sometimes, you focus your thoughts on a conversation with a work colleague and wonder what they meant or if there was another meaning. Other common ruminative thoughts include self-criticism, overthinking about decisions, and worrying about the opinions of others.

Once you can pinpoint these patterns, you can use healthy coping strategies to pull yourself out of the cycle of rumination and then make conscious choices about which thoughts to focus on.

Below are some variations of how the mental loop of ruminative thoughts might play out.

Worrying About the Future

Ruminating about the future means thinking about possible upcoming events in terms of hypothetical events or worst-case scenarios.

When we imagine the future, we might picture it as uncertain, such as fearing that we won't have enough money or that something bad could happen to our health.

The worry might focus on "I can't pay my bills; I'm going to end up homeless." It might be specific, like, "What if I mess up at my job and go bankrupt?" Interestingly, the contents of one's future worry aren't necessarily from real life since the future scenario is hypothetical, but regardless, the concern of it interferes with someone's ability to cope with living in the present.

The American Psychological Association has linked chronic future ruminations to anxiety disorder.

Focusing on Past Mistakes

Repetitive thinking about negative events in the past revolves around things that went wrong and often brings up many negative emotions.

A person might repeatedly play out a particular situation, for instance, ruminating over what happened or why they acted in a certain way.

A person whose thoughts revolve around mistakes that were made might think: "I wish I hadn't said that in the meeting last week," or "Why didn't I take that opportunity?" or "Why did I do that? What could I have done differently?" Continual dwelling on these incidents can lead to a self-defeating cycle of blame and guilt.

Studies have shown that people who obsessively think about past mistakes are much more prone to depression than those who don't, simply because they end up stuck on an emotional treadmill. This is why learning how to stop ruminating over negative thoughts, feelings, or events is so important.

Overthinking in Relationships

Ruminative thinking tends to encroach upon relationships, where people pore over details like: 'Did he mean that the way I think he did?' or 'Why did she act that way?' This can be stressful for everyone in a relationship.

Relationship rumination or overthinking in relationships sounds something like: 'Did they really mean that or are they annoyed that I said that?' Rumination of this kind, focused on potential insults and misinterpretations, diminishes trust and creates a more worried and uneasy relationship dynamic rather than an open exchange of ideas.

Research shows that more relationship-focused rumination is more specifically associated with attachment anxiety and sensitivity to perceived rejection.

Excessively Analysing Interactions

Excessive reflection on social interactions is another form of intrusive rumination. It often takes the form of analysing and reanalysing conversations, including word choice, body language, and the meaning of what people say to you or the outcome of the exchange.

For example, after a conversation with a friend, you might think: 'Did I sound rude? I wish I would have said something else.' Going over an event again and again in your mind can create a feedback loop, where the more you think about it, the more anxious and self-conscious you become, which in turn leads to more negative thoughts. This can distort what really happened.

One study in the journal Behaviour Research and Therapy found that repeatedly ruminating on social interactions is linked to heightened social anxiety and an inability to maintain healthy self-esteem, Rumination focused cognitive behavioural therapy is a good coping strategy for this.

Why Is Rumination Bad?

Ruminating is terrible for us because it keeps people repeating their problems without reaching a solution, which only worsens existing mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and stress, among others.

While people wonder what the purpose of rumination might be, researchers have found that it doesn't lead to problem-solving or greater insight.

Instead, rumination can deepen a person's emotional distress and reinforce feelings of helplessness or inadequacy.

Social scientists who study rumination have found it is tightly linked to a higher risk of mental health disorders and can prolong the recovery from negative emotional experiences, for example.

Rumination is also linked to reduced cognitive functioning, such as our memory and concentration skills, making it even harder for us to focus on tasks during our busy, daily lives.

If we want to learn how to stop ruminating, we must think healthier thoughts, try to accept, block, or remove negative feelings, and seek support, medical advice, or spiritual counselling when we feel like we can't do it alone.

Read our guide on Overcoming Negative Energy.

How to Stop Ruminating?

Why is it important to learn how to stop ruminating? Aside from devouring your mental activity and emotional energies and making you overwhelmed - unhealthy thought patterns can easily lead to anxiety, depression, physical fatigue, and mental illness.

Stopping rumination and negative thinking is possible, and you can be more mindful, focused, and self-aware of your triggers and rumination causes. Here's what you can do – the How-to steps outlined below are grounded in science.

Whether you want to talk about preventing or stopping rumination, the clinical viewpoint remains the same: learning how to stop ruminating thoughts requires consciously changing a habit deeply rooted inside your psyche, which takes effort and discipline.

Here are some simple, evidence-based steps to stop ruminating, defeat stress and reclaim your mind.

Notice When You're in a Cycle of Negative Thinking

To stop ruminative patterns, you need to catch yourself in the act, which, as one study published in Cognitive Therapy and Research explains, requires awareness – the same awareness is the first step in change.

Keep tabs on thought patterns and note how these thoughts make you feel. For example: 'I keep thinking about when I said that thing to Joe. I feel like such a jerk. What if he really does hate me? Once you've identified your thought patterns, you can take conscious steps to break the cycle of the ruminating process. Write it down, say it out loud and put it away.

By bringing your automatic response out of auto mode and into conscious focus, you'll interrupt the routine and prompt it to pause.

Distract Yourself

The best way how to stop ruminating thoughts is to distract yourself. This can be an activity, such as reading, exercise or working on a hobby.

Some good research has been published in the Psychology Health journal, showing that physical activity can help reduce rumination and improve mental health. Taking your focus off the worries looping around in your mind gives it a chance to reset.

Choose a distraction that is appropriate for your mood and interests – go for a walk, cook something, or watch a film that inspires and motivates you.

Try a Different Perspective

The best way how to stop ruminating thoughts might be to counter the negative thought cycle with another way of looking at things or with positive thoughts. For this, you can try a core technique of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) called cognitive restructuring: stop to ask yourself whether you're misinterpreting your thoughts and imagine the alternative.

The American Psychological Association states that, when practised, cognitive restructuring can effectively reduce rumination: 'What would I say to a friend in this situation?' 'Is there another explanation for what happened?' 'Is there another way to look at this?' These are the tricky questions you can ask yourself.

Confronting your thoughts will challenge the painful mental process and change the direction entirely – tipping the scale between painful and reflective thinking toward more positive outlooks.

Meditation and Grounding Techniques

The power of meditation cannot be understated. Any type of meditation or grounding exercises can help quiet your mind so that you stop repeated unpleasant thoughts.

Mindfulness meditation, detailed in The Journal of Clinical Psychology, lowers stress and stops the downward spiral of negative thought spirals.

Relaxation techniques like focusing on your breath, tuning into the sounds and sensations all around you, or placing a therapeutic grounding foot on the ground and feeling it are examples of grounding exercises that allow the mind to calm down and land you squarely in the present moment.

You move from a wandering state of mind where you are uselessly worrying about past or future events – and begin to be able to use that precious brain power to deal with the present moment.

Read our guide on Grounding Techniques.

Learn Your Triggers

A crucial part of your action plan is finding out your triggers. Identifying your rumination triggers can help you to stop rumination before it begins.

An event, emotion, or person can trigger painful thoughts and excessive negative thinking.

Writing in the peer-reviewed journal Behaviour Research and Therapy, Allison Lyddy, an assistant psychology professor at the SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, explains: When individuals have a good understanding of what triggers their ruminations, they can 'predict' when rumination is likely to occur and prepare themselves in advance or act accordingly to avoid or manage them.

Keep a journal that documents your thoughts and emotions. Write down when rumination occurs. Do you ruminate when you are tired, stressed or after interacting with certain people? This awareness empowers you to take control of those triggers.

You can either avoid them or react to them in a different way than before. Knowing your triggers is a key stepping stone to learning how to stop ruminating thoughts from returning.

Talk to a Professional

If you find that rumination interferes with your mental health and daily coping or functioning, it should be addressed with a professional.

Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) has been repeatedly demonstrated to be among the most effective treatments in reducing rumination and the symptoms of generalised anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, depression, and several other mental health conditions related to ruminative thinking.

A professional therapist can work with you to develop an awareness of negative patterns of thought, learn ways to halt them, and develop tools for coping with the anxiety that ruminative thinking brings.

Research published in the journal Clinical Psychology Review indicates that those who seek therapy for obsessive thinking tend to report significant improvements in their mood and experience noticeable increases in clarity of thought.

Spiritual Readings Can Help You Learn How to Stop Ruminating Thoughts

Other than costly professional therapy or trying to get appointments with mental health professionals, there are different ways to learn how to stop ruminating, such as new-age holistic therapy and spiritual counselling.

Working with a live psychic reader at Trusted Psychics can help your thoughts with spiritual guidance. Spiritual reading and psychic reading can help you discover the deepest emotional and spiritual patterns of your overthinking.

A live psychic reader can help you clear the fog from your mind, bring different perspectives to your situation, help you see what's next, and guide you to peace.

A spiritual reading can help you detect negative thinking patterns and bring intuitive suggestions as to how to change or break that pattern, even if it means swapping negative thoughts for positive rumination.

We have many hidden emotional blockages and unresolved feelings that we don't notice or see as a prominent issue. The reason why many people suffer from depression, stress and overthinking is due to the hidden emotional and unresolved issues buried deep inside, a psychic reader can help you uncover these hidden thoughts and feelings and offer spiritual solutions to help you overcome them.

The guidance of a spiritual reading can help you learn how to stop ruminating thoughts from taking over and help you regain control of your mind. Try talking to a live psychic reader or one of the experts on Live Messenger.

FAQ’s on How to Stop Ruminating

How Do I Stop Excessive Rumination?

Controlling excessive ruminations requires more than one intervention. You must be able to notice that you are in the rumination mode and then use either complete or partial distraction or cognitive reframing to jump to something else.

When you catch yourself ruminating, immediately shift to doing something else, go for a walk, lose yourself in a book, or observe nature. Mindfulness meditation can also help. It's known to train the brain to stay in the present moment rather than spiral into the negative thought loop.

What Is the Root Cause of Rumination?

At the root of rumination are often underlying conditions of emotional or mental health, including anxiety, depression, or trauma.

When we ruminate, our brain's instinct to problem-solve short-circuits into repetitive negative thinking. Therefore, it remains on autopilot without any 'solution mode', often looping around the same issues.

Studies have shown that people who are perfectionists, highly self-critical or have unresolved emotional issues can have a propensity for rumination.

Low self-esteem and the inability to let go of negative experiences influence unhelpful thinking processes. Identifying the underlying emotional drivers can be the first step in breaking the habit.

How Do You Break a Rumination Cycle?

The key to busting a rumination cycle is to take action that will break the chain of thought. One technique is called 'timeboxing' your worry, letting yourself think about an issue for an allotted amount of time (perhaps 10 or 15 minutes) or only at a certain time of day, allowing yourself to fret for only that length of time, and then shifting to a new task.

Focusing on what goes right instead of what goes wrong can shift your focus remarkably fast.

Am I Ruminating or Processing?

Rumination involves unproductive, ongoing, negative self-talk or thoughts while processing emotions is helpful.

You're probably ruminating about whether you have the same thoughts without solutions or relief. Reflect on your thoughts as they occur.

When you think you are obsessing, ask yourself, "Am I processing my thoughts by trying to learn from them, get to the bottom of something, or understand my feelings somehow? Am I moving forward with these thoughts in some way? Or am I just placing myself back in that dark hole of unproductive worry and spite-thinking?'

Is Rumination Due to Anxiety?

Rumination tends to correlate strongly with anxiety. The same process that leads people with anxiety to worry about possible future uncertainties or about hypothetical worst-case scenarios will naturally serve to set ruminating thoughts in motion.

The American Psychological Association cites several studies suggesting that rumination can be both a symptom and a cause of anxiety.

Contact Trusted Psychics today and learn how to release your stress by learning how to stop ruminating.

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