“Don’t delve into it, it leads to overthinking, and overthinking leads to problems that don’t even exist.” – Jason Enge.
Almost everyone has had a situation in their life when their head is filled with thoughts about an important, disturbing or traumatic event that is coming or has passed, endless judgments about what happened and how it should have happened, what should have been done differently and how one would like to switch or focus on something else , this obsessive rumination is almost impossible to stop. It often leads to various, usually unpleasant, scenarios, but practically never to a solution to the problem. Often these thoughts are also of a strongly self-critical nature.
Basically, this rumination process is a normal reaction in stressful situations – it is mostly temporary and goes away on its own, but rumination can also be one of the symptoms of mental disorders. It’s like wandering through a dark forest of thoughts, when you keep coming back to places you’ve already been, but you can’t get out of the forest.
When is too much?
- It is worth asking yourself the question – is this thinking fruitful?
- Are these thoughts predominantly negative?
- Does it lead to a solution to the problem?
- Can I control the course of events I wonder about?
So, it is too much if:
- Intrusive thoughts or judgments are frequent;
- This process is long-lasting (at least 1h/day), it is difficult or even impossible to stop;
- It interferes with engaging in daily work, concentrating, contacting others, feeling positive emotions, relaxing, sleeping.
So we can say that thoughts are dominant and intrusive.
Most often, when it comes to obsessive compulsive disorders, people often think that compulsions are something visible – physical actions, behavior, but it can also be a thought process, judgment, doubt – something that cannot be practically seen from the outside, and the person himself cannot be controlled. In such a situation, it is difficult to make decisions, a person is constantly “thinking”, complains that he cannot “stop thinking”, therefore he feels constantly tired, depressed and drained. At the same time, these thoughts are not “thinkable”, they do not lead to a solution and relief, but only increase tension and anxiety.
Rumination is such a “universal symptom” – it can be found in both anxiety and panic, as well as depression. In addition to the above disorders, obsessive rumination can also be characteristic of people with:
- Eating disorders (bulimia, binge eating);
- Attention deficit and hyperactivity syndrome;
- Post-traumatic stress syndrome;
- For personality disorders, such as borderline personality.
It has been observed that these people are often characterized by the use of intoxicating substances, an increased risk of addictions, because at first it seems deceptive that, for example, alcohol helps to “disengage”, “not to think”, but over time it has already grown into addiction.
Such thoughts should not be confused with the symptoms of other disorders – that is, when the thoughts are foreign, sounding, sent, imposed, “put” in the head or transmitted from the outside and / or completely inconsistent with reality (about persecution, tracking, special mission or curse), fantastic content , as it could be with psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia. In this case, you should definitely consult a psychiatrist as soon as possible!
How to help?!
- Recognize! To start helping yourself, you need to recognize your problem – is the above described something very familiar?!
- Get acquainted! It must be understood that this thinking about a problem or an event is not productive, it is not a solution and it will not lead to one;
- Write down! By writing down the content of thoughts, it is easier to structure and organize them;
- Switch! When you catch yourself ruminating, try to distract yourself, “derail” your thoughts – go for an active walk, run, cook, do a crossword puzzle, call or text a friend. This step will require deliberate action and may be difficult at first, but with time it is possible to find the best way to switch for yourself.
- Looking for help! If it seems that you will not be able to cope, do not be afraid to ask for help! Sometimes there is a feeling that a little support is needed – a specialist in cognitive behavioral therapy (psychologist or psychotherapist) will help you understand and find a way out of the labyrinth of thoughts, a psychiatrist can help you understand whether the “doubt” is part of something bigger, or whether drug treatment is not necessary.
Author of the article: doctor psychiatrist Juta Jaudzema
Sansone RA, Sansone LA. Rumination: relationships with physical health. Innov Clin Neurosci. 2012 Feb;9(2):29-34. PMID: 22468242; PMCID: PMC3312901.
https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/mental-health/rumination/
https://thepsychologygroup.com/ruminating-thoughts-and-anxiety/
https://theocdandanxietycenter.com/rumination/