Rumination is much discussed and debated when anxiety states or when low moods are the topics of discussion. Ruminative thoughts are mainly and overwhelmingly negative in nature and are associated with threat, fear or rejection.
Rumination has a function albeit to lull us into a false sense of security that we are doing something to deal with a problem. However the truth is that it does not lead to a positive outcome and simply re-enforces further rumination as a habit and acts as a form of an emotional 'crutch' on which to lean upon.
Rumination leads to a loss of self-consciousness and a loss of connection to the here and now - the present, which is essential in keeping us emotionally and physically anchored into the world around us. Yet, to the affected individual, it feels like a behaviour pattern that gives them control, however, that control leads back into the same behaviour pattern. To someone caught up in the loop of ruminations, seeing beyond them is difficult. Which means that time gets distorted and the only intrinsic reward of rumination, is simply repeatedly doing the activity.
Control
When we ruminate, we fundamentally feel that we do not have control over ourselves. The process if typically aversive and unpleasant and whilst it may feel like 'problem-solving', the reality is that it simply re-enforces the fears and anxieties that are associated with it. In fact, the following statement sums up anxiety that is so closely associated with ruminations.
"Anxiety is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it does not get you far". (Jody Picoult)
Rumination is also a selfish act where we simply reflect within ourselves. It is a process of looking inwards and pulling away from other people and over time this can be compounded by pulling away from the present and living in a fantasy state of disengagement.
Antidotes to Rumination
We know that rumination is intrinsically linked to anxiety states, cognitions and behaviours and therefore reducing the 'pull' of ruminations will have a significant knock-on effect in reducing anxiety. So what can be done?
Well, there are a number of things that act as an antidote to rumination. These include the following:
- The Acceptance of Issues - this does not mean liking what may be happening, but accepting that it will pass through time and also accepting that there are choice points, however small or large which can produce a window of hope.
- Staying in the Present and Engaging Creatively: Engaging with the here and now automatically stops the brain from going back into historical events or going forward into an unhelpful thinking pattern called 'fortune telling'. Meanwhile, creativity follows similar patterns involved in rumination though it produces a more positive outcome. (As suggested, an individual will go through very similar stages of the preparation phase, the incubation phase, the 'eureka moment' and then the verification moment - stages closely associated with rumination. As suggested though, the outcome will be viewed more positively if there is a creative element to it).
- Practising Mindfulness: This is a flow state where an individual is being at one with the present moment and is therefore immersed and engaged with the present. This is a much better process to overcome rumination and one example of such an activity includes knitting. The individual is present, aware of their surroundings and in a flow state where they are stimulated by their feelings of touch and the texture of the items that they are working with. Within such an activity, action and awareness merge together.
In summary, the more rumination takes place, the greater the feelings of anxiety and the greater the desire to slip into ruminative cycles that ultimately lead nowhere. They create firing patterns in the brain, that if prolonged, become the default go to mechanism when threat, fear or rejection are detected or even perceived. Ultimately, they remove an individual from the present and lodge them into a state of hopelessness.
