Coping with Rumination to Prevent Depression and Anxiety

Rumination is a condition related to mental health wherein a person feels stuck in a cycle of negative thoughts. When coupled with anxiety or depression, it can worsen the mental health conditions. If you want to get out of this loop of negative thinking, meditation, and distractions are some of the helpful techniques you can try.

However, to get rid of it completely, you need to address the underlying issues with the most relevant and meaningful practices. It can have close links with the negative experiences of the past. Here, we will discuss some important aspects of this mental health condition, including causes, effects of health, and ways to cope with it.

What Is Rumination? An Overview

Ruminating thoughts are obsessive or intrusive thoughts that can come in the form of repetitive thoughts or themes. Besides, it interferes with different forms of mental activities. Different forms of mental health conditions can depict rumination as their sign.

It mainly occurs with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) or generalized anxiety disorder. It can have severe effects on one’s mental health and can cause depression, thereby impairing your ability to process your emotions. Some of its adverse effects can be seen as:

• Severe anxiety, poor sleep patterns, and impulsive or aggressive behavior.
• It can also affect your stress responses, thus leading to chronic stress.
• Besides, it can promote a wide range of health concerns.
• In some individuals, it can pose a risk of substance use disorder.

What Are the Potential Reasons Behind Rumination?

Sometimes, people overthink to get insights into a current situation for better decision-making. However, ruminating thoughts evoke excessively repetitive or obsessive thoughts and are triggered by the following reasons:

• Specific stressors in life, such as a failed relationship.
• A traumatic event that has occurred recently or in the past.
• Perfectionists are at higher risk of getting into the ruminating thoughts.
• A variety of mental health conditions can give rise to rumination.
• Sometimes, it can be your personality trait to overthink until it starts interfering with your day-to-day life.

How Is Rumination Linked To Anxiety and Depression?

Rumination can happen with depression and anxiety. In both mental health conditions, people get trapped in a loop of sad, dark, or negative thoughts.

• When in Depression: In depression, people often feel guilt for not taking time with friends. This guilt trip can be related to a past event that you have no control over. It may include the feeling of depression.
• When in Anxiety: In chronic anxiety, you think over and over about what could possibly go wrong in a situation, thereby causing intrusive negative thoughts. Besides, you keep on thinking about the worrisome things you have absolutely no control over. When treating anxiety disorder, the signs of rumination are also taken into consideration.

How To Stop Ruminating And Keep Depression and Anxiety At Bay?

Ruminating thoughts can disrupt your mental health and can promote a wide range of mental health disorders. If you are stuck in the vicious loop of ruminating thoughts, you can follow these helpful tips:

Determine What Is Causing The Rumination

First of all, you need to make sure that you are actually ruminating. Sometimes, we overthink stressful situations, which helps us get insight into our problems and make the right decisions. However, if it goes beyond your control, try to figure out the source of your ruminating thoughts. There can be several underlying issues, such as:

• Anxiety disorder, which is running undiagnosed.
• Severe or persistent depression.
• Traumatic events occurred recently or back in the past.
• It is usual for you to overthink the distressing situations.

Address Your Emotions When In a Safe Environment

Your unaddressed feelings or emotions can also give birth to ruminating thoughts. When in a safe environment, you need to thoroughly navigate through these intrusive thoughts. It can be related to the loss of loved ones or guilt about the way you haven’t responded in a certain way in a past event or situation. However, when you feel and process negative or uncomfortable emotions, you will find yourself in a better position to cope with rumination.

Determine What’s In Your Control And What’s Not

Sometimes, you blame yourself for a past situation that was not in your control. However, there are upcoming events that you can control, but keep on ruminating instead of taking action. For instance, it can be a job interview, wherein you feel trapped with self-defeating thoughts. The ruminating thoughts related to an upcoming examination can interfere with your preparations. Instead of this, you can give your best and, thereafter, introspect the outcomes rationally with a feeling of self-compassion.

Live In Your Present

Negative thoughts or emotions related to a past event can paint a dramatic picture of the situation, keeping you in irrational self-doubt or guilt. Its feelings are valid, and there is no question about it. However, it is important to interpret your thoughts to ensure that they align with reality. When in anxiety or depression that affects the functioning of your mind, you shouldn’t lose touch with reality. The best way to do this is to keep yourself engaged in your present moment. It blurs down the emotions related to past events.

Take Action Before It Gets Worse

If you are constantly ruminating about something, inactivity can make it worse. Make an action plan and start working. What’s there in your mind will revolve in it until brought into action. If it is a problem, try to figure out the most relevant solutions to override it and start working. The improvement can only come with the action. Thoughts without any action can cause anxiety or depression related to the rumination.

Seek Support From A Trusted Person

When you are stuck in the loop of negative thoughts, get support from your trusted friends or family members. They can provide useful insight into your situation when analyzing things from outside. They can tell you if the situation requires rumination or if you are just overthinking. Furthermore, they can provide a fresh perspective on the things that can entirely change the scenario, making a situation less stressful.

Get Professional Help

If nothing helps and the situation worsens with time, it is wise to seek help from an experienced psychotherapist. The talk therapy helps them in determining the source of the rumination. Thus, they can address the underlying problems that are forming loop of obsessional and unhelpful thoughts. Cognitive Behavioural therapy or CBT is one of the most effective therapies that can help individuals struggling with the ruminating thoughts.