4 Ways To Let Go Of A Ruminant Thought

A ruminant thought is a difficult to let go of obsession that alters our life. We suggest four practices that will help you eliminate ruminant ideas and get back to enjoying your life.

A ruminant thought can make your life bitter, as these thoughts obsessively engage the mind and torment you. Thinking about what could be and was not, even what has not yet been, can cause anguish and no solution.

Although it is not that simple, we can learn to  get rid of a ruminant thought if we know how to fight back. Next we will analyze some keys that may work to bend the mind.

Causes of rumination

According to the American Psychological Association , some reasons for rumination may include:

• The belief that through rumination the person will gain more information about the problem or their life in general
• Having a history of emotional or physical trauma

• Face continuous stressors that can not be controlled

In addition, it seems that rumination could also be common in people who possess certain personality characteristics, such as: perfectionism, neuroticism or an excessive focus on one’s relationships with others.

Keys to controlling a ruminant thought

Although it can be difficult to control these ruminant thoughts, there are certain recommendations that can be followed to try to control these thoughts :

1. Ruminant thinking takes time

What does it mean that ruminant thinking needs its time? Taking time so  that our mind focuses only on that thought will help us not to return to it later .

Let us force ourselves at that moment to think and rethink about that idea. Surely, we will come to the conclusion that what we are doing is worthless. So, this will be a very important turning point.

It is something difficult and requires your practice. But, in that way, we will prevent that ruminant thought from appearing when we least want it,  for example, during an important conference or work meeting.

2. Practice mindfulness ?

We usually hear that mindfulness  helps with many problems that we face in our day to day. It happens that the consequences of practicing it are very healing.

The mindfulness  helps you focus on the now, in the present moment. So what happens if we focus on what we feel and what happens here and now? We put ruminant thinking aside.

With practice, we will acquire more awareness of now and we will minimize those thoughts of the past and future that are so useless in the present.

We would be much happier if we were more and more connected to the now. It is only a matter of insisting on this very beneficial practice.

3. Take refuge in hobbies

When a ruminant thought comes to us and lingers for days or weeks in our minds, it can cause unpleasant effects.

For example, we can be more apathetic, to shut ourselves up more at home and, ultimately, to enjoy life less. For this reason, it is important to push ourselves to continue doing what we like and to promote it at this time, which is when we need it most. By doing something that we are passionate about, we will completely forget that repetitive idea that hurts us.

4. Exit to new spaces

Going out to new places is a recommendation we often hear. If work stresses us or we need to disconnect, going for a walk or taking a walk in nature will be very positive.

When there is a ruminant thought that haunts the mind, it is important not to stay at home. To be able to release it, it is only necessary to move, seek calm in a place with little traffic.

Nature has a very powerful healing power. In it you will find silence, your mind will calm down and the ruminant thought will stop being chewed.

Have you ever had to deal with a ruminant thought? All of us, at some point, have encountered this problem that prevented us from letting go of a past situation or living in the present without worrying so much about the future.

Obsessive ideas are quite common, but if just one of them lingers too long, it can become a problem. In some cases, it can lead to depression.

Therefore, it is important to learn to let go, not cling to those negative thoughts that even end up somatizing in the body. Let go and enjoy your life again! And remember: you are always on time to seek help. If you need it, we recommend that you consult a psychologist as you can alleviate these ruminant thoughts.