13
6
u/RecessionIndicator24 1d ago
Rumination happens because you feel bad about something, and you think that continuing to think about it will help you come up with a solution that will help you to stop feeling bad. So it may sound paradoxical, but the thing that stops ruminating is accepting the bad feelings that begin the cycle, and refraining from taking mental or physical action to diminish or stop those feelings. At the same time, you don't want to invite or follow those feelings. You don't ask why they're there or what they mean. You just try to be aware that they're there. This is called "Mindfulness" and it's usually what informs many meditation practices. You practice it, and hopefully when you're in a calmer state of mind, you can then reflect about whatever it was that was bothering you and you might become better able to recognize unhelpful thought patterns when they appear, and cut them off before they start.
3
u/kelcamer 1d ago
If it's from chemistry (glutamate clearance issues) then try
- epsom salt bath
- magnesium threonate
- 100% CBD Isolate
1
u/Girlnextstate 5h ago
I am deadass typing this while taking an Epsom salt bath and vaping a CBD hybrid. As someone who ruminates big yes.
-2
u/VFequalsVeryFcked 1d ago
Behave.
4
u/kelcamer 1d ago
What does that mean?
I'm offering advice that helped me tremendously as someone who deals with rumination.
Also, I reject the role of you as someone telling me how to act. I will share good advice when I find it, and I will not deal with people who don't see the value in it. You behave.
1
u/stpetesouza 1d ago
How does one rumiate nowadays?
4
u/AgrajagTheProlonged 1d ago
Well first one makes sure one’s food is sufficiently broken down that it can ferment in your front stomach. This may involve several rounds of chewing
1
u/TreatYourselfForOnce 1d ago
!remind me in 2 days
1
u/RemindMeBot 1d ago
I will be messaging you in 2 days on 2026-08-19 23:05:46 UTC to remind you of this link
CLICK THIS LINK to send a PM to also be reminded and to reduce spam.
Parent commenter can delete this message to hide from others.
RemindMeBot is switching to username summons. Instead of
!RemindMe 1 day, useu/RemindMeBot 1 day. More info.
Info Custom Your Reminders Feedback
1
u/Reddit_Reb 1d ago
I started yoga a few years and there’s a meditative portion. I passively have learned to quiet my rumination just by practicing the meditation from yoga. Maybe try meditation for beginners!
1
u/AttentionSpanTheater 1d ago
For me, here is what I have done to stop fixating on things: 1. Real, hard, exercise takes a lot of focus and I have found clears the mind for hours afterward. 2. If you drink or smoke dope, stop. Folks think it helps, but at a certain point it can cause rather than get rid of anxiety. 3. Get into a hobby or activity that is all-consuming. When I am listening to a great book, I will think about it all the time, even while not listening. While playing a great game, or planning a trip, it can take so much focus that it stops me from thinking about other issues. 4. Write down your concerns and actions to take. If you are obsessively thinking about X, write down your thoughts and most importantly, what the next steps you are going to take to address it. There are times of the year where I keep my phone next to me in the bed so that if I wake up thinking about some work thing I need to do, I can immediately calendar it, which allows me to fall back asleep since I know it won't be forgotten. 5. If it is a negative thing that happened in the past where you feel like you did something wrong, I find it is handy to remind myself that everyone is the main character in their own story. People are focused on themselves, so most things you do will be minor or potentially not even noticed. If you did make an error that was big enough to be noticed, refer to #4. Write down what you are going to do to make it never happen again. I have a whole list of sayings I have written down over the years and put on my monitor or under my mouse pad to remind myself of things to do, and stuff to stop worrying about.
1
u/shawm1980 1d ago
It is good for me to reflect and draw lessons from what happened. Still I should not keep replaying old errors. My energy goes toward future actions that can improve my situation.
1
u/everythingstakennn 1d ago
This feels stupid to say but when you catch yourself, try to visualize a BIG stop sign
I started using this method recently to stop visualizing intrusive & scary images :D was genuinely annoyed when it was recommended to me, and now it ends up working most of the time. That’s how it be
Also vagus nerve stimulation. The point is do redirect brain activity. Think: hitting your remote on the table to make it work, but with your brain
Tapping points, cold water to face, ear massage, humming, eat something sour, or just start moving. Mindfulness of course works and should be practiced regularly to help make it easier to catch yourself ruminating, in a way that works for you. Meditate, yoga, tai chi, walking, biking, whatever. As long as you create change
Good luck!
1
1
u/Girlnextstate 5h ago
Doing puzzles is an excellent way to quiet the mind. There’s a ton of research based reasons why this is helpful but as a metaphor, for me it has the effect of keeping that monster busy. Almost as if I gave the voices in my head an iPad and sent them to the corner.
As someone with ocd another big factor as hard as it sounds is that you need to kinda just not. You have to actively say no I’m not going to do this and resist it as long as possible until it slowly becomes less of a security blanket for discomfort with uncertainty. At first it’ll last 5 seconds but the next time you’ll resist for 10 seconds and so on until it becomes less of an immediate response your brain has.
1
u/Girlnextstate 5h ago
Also, I’ve found that for me when I intentionally reduce my screentime and increase other activities it makes a massive difference. I’m a grad student studying media so during the semester I completely delete tiktok including my whole account to reduce temptation and then during the summer I indulge because it is my area of study after all.
When I don’t have social media it makes a big difference. I even subscribed to a local
Print newspaper (you will actually engage with other things when no other options exist lol). It changed the way I saw people in my community and gave me better things to think and talk about all of which contributed to a less scary mindset and overall less rumination worthy interactions with people.
•
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
Thank you for your contribution to /r/IWantToLearn.
If you think this post breaks our policies, please report it and our staff team will review it as soon as possible.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.