Greetings, friends!
You don’t often hear the word “rumination” in conversation, but each of us has encountered the phenomenon that it denotes. This is the name for painfully thinking about an unpleasant situation: a failed interview, an unsuccessful dialogue, a quarrel with a loved one and other reasons for frustration.
Everyone experiences similar experiences from time to time. Sometimes they pass without a trace, and sometimes they torment a person for a long time, preventing him from working productively and fully enjoying life. Today we will look in detail at what rumination is, why it occurs, how it manifests itself, why it is dangerous and how to overcome it.
What is rumination?
In psychology, rumination is the obsessive thinking of unpleasant situations that cannot be corrected. These thoughts return again and again, preventing a person from engaging in any productive activity. This process is sometimes called "mental cud" because it resembles the repeated chewing of food by cows and other artiodactyls.
The term “rumination” is derived from the Latin word ruminatio (to reflect). It is interesting that in English the word rumination can denote not only a thought process, but also chewing gum in the literal sense.
Rumination is painful thinking about an unpleasant situation that has no purpose and does not solve any problems. It does not bring any benefit, but only takes a lot of time and exhausts a person, forcing him to suffer again and again due to a situation that cannot be corrected. The main feature of rumination is that all thoughts lead to a negative outcome, not helping a person cope with the situation, but only increasing his pain.
Constant thoughts about the meaning of life and the future and the fact that we will all die
Andrey, Moscow
192 views
May 5, 2020
Three years ago, I went to study at an expensive school abroad, and since childhood I had a dream of achieving great success in business and in general I have always been very diligent and hardworking, everything was fine at school, there were no problems. There was a good group of friends and everything was fine, but I began to get nervous often in the last two years regarding communication with friends, I was always offended if they didn’t write to me first, I always tried to control all aspects of my life and thought a lot about everything and made plans. How to help my family in the future, how to achieve greater success, I also tried to control communication with everyone around me in order to always maintain friendship. And I began to notice that I was more worried about everything, how to succeed everywhere, and I became nervous and began to lash out at my family and other close people. But exactly one year later, things got a little worse because all the very rich people studied with me and I didn’t have the opportunity to match everything, so it was hard for me to maintain all aspects and I tried to chase everyone. I also had a habit of constantly monitoring the cleanliness around me; I couldn’t when there was something dirty nearby or something else. Also, in March last year, I smoked a THC substance from a vape, after that, I lost consciousness and my legs and arms were shaking for 10 seconds, then my friend doubled me and I woke up, I had never had this before. After this situation, I began to feel unwell, headaches, etc. But after half a year, I started playing sports, taking vitamins and various dietary supplements, and everything went away for me, in terms of headaches and palpitations, I also did a full examination, everything was normal, including an MRI of the brain, as a result, I still don’t It was clear why I lost consciousness then, but after that my state of health returned to normal. At the moment, only one thing worries me, I constantly began to wonder what the meaning of life is and why do so many things, we will die anyway and when I realize this I begin to feel complete apathy towards everything, because everything else is good for me , only when I start thinking about it, I immediately feel bad and not in a very good mood, I am a very positive and open person, among my friends I have always been the most cheerful, but these thoughts plague me, my mood also changes every time I think about it, It just really disrupts my schedule and my ability to work. I am now 19.5 years old, everything is fine in my life and there are no problems in all aspects. There are good friends, close relatives, good studies, a girlfriend, even a good business that generates income. There are no problems in the family either, there is prosperity and a good atmosphere everywhere. Please advise how best to remove this. Because I’m even ashamed that I have such thoughts, because I’m doing well compared to other people... I apologize for the long message and for starting from afar.
The question is closed
How is rumination different from reflection?
You've probably noticed that rumination is described as similar to reflection. But these are two completely different concepts, so they should not be identified or confused. The difference between reflection and rumination is the following:
- The presence or absence of a goal. Reflection has a purpose. A person is trying to find a solution, understand the situation, draw some conclusions, understand how not to repeat the mistake. When ruminating, he simply replays painful memories in his head, suffers and feels sorry for himself, but does not look for a solution.
- Perception of the situation. When reflecting, a person tries to step back and look at himself from the outside, think about and understand the situation. When ruminating, he experiences unpleasant emotions, as if those events are happening to him right now.
- Duration. Reflection usually leads to a rethinking of the problem, due to which the memories become less painful each time. Rumination forces a person to “live” the situation over and over again, each time experiencing equally strong discomfort.
Thus, rumination differs from reflection in that it does not lead to relief of suffering over time. A person does not look for a solution to the problem, but simply forces himself to suffer, suffers and feels sorry for himself, getting stuck in the past for a long time and causing serious damage to his psycho-emotional state.
2) How to get rid of obsessive thoughts and fears - visual barriers to happiness
It's scary to be at home alone and it's scary to go out too! I feel like I'm about to stop breathing from horror. Hands reach out to call the emergency room. But in the hospital it’s even worse. Why should I have such an attack? I just want to live normally, like everyone else. How to get rid of fears and obsessive thoughts?
Panic attacks, scary images that pop up involuntarily - it’s like a horror movie inside your own head on constant repeat. A wave of fear comes at the most inopportune moment, and then how to get rid of bad thoughts? With your mind you understand that there is no reason for alarm, and the frightened animal inside itself is vainly looking for a fifth corner to hide from the cruel world of its own fantasies.
The thirst of the owner of the visual vector is emotion. Only he is capable of experiencing the brightest rainbow of feelings. The peak of pleasure for him is the feeling of love. When another person is more important than oneself, when the heart is excited from empathy for him, from the desire to make his life happier, then he himself wants to live.
Without knowing your nature, love does not always bring happiness. And a vulnerable visual person becomes so painfully afraid to live, feel, love that in an attempt to protect himself from mental pain, he “forbids” himself to experience any emotions. But this is also an unconscious ban on happiness.
After all, when the viewer lacks emotions, feelings for another, fears, panic attacks and a state of despair involuntarily appear in order to somehow compensate for this lack of sensory awe within.
I'm scared that something will happen to my son. My soul breaks from the fact that I myself can somehow harm him. Obsessive thoughts and fears torment you, and the priest’s answer that this is all from the evil one and you need to fight temptations does not reassure you at all. The more I think about it, the worse it gets.
Owners of the anal-visual ligament vectors often suffer from fears for loved ones. They want to be the best parents, wives and husbands, to protect their children from the cruel world. There is no end to the worries. You can calm your restless mind only by giving it a wider scope of application.
A sensitive heart is created to feel and empathize. Often caring for the family is not enough to fully realize its potential. Knowing exactly your abilities, you can always use them to the maximum and enjoy life. Fears do not return when emotions have another way out.
Those who have completed Yuri Burlan’s “System-Vector Psychology” training know exactly how to get rid of obsessive thoughts and fears.
How to get rid of obsessive thoughts - the result of internal work
Thoughts are a means to realize our desires. They shape our actions and the lives we live day after day. Therefore, it is important what thoughts come into our heads - either ideas come to us on how to achieve what we want, and we are happy, or obsessive thoughts and fears absorb all our attention and energy and leave us empty-handed.
Unconscious desires guide us. Realizing your desires and clearly understanding how to enjoy life is precisely this skill acquired at the “System-Vector Psychology”
, will allow you to no longer wonder how to deal with obsessive thoughts. It’s just that the unconscious will no longer need to “remind” us with obsessive thoughts about why we were born this way. We ourselves will move towards pleasure, using the talents and resources given to us by nature as intended.
Author of the publication: Tatyana Kuzmina, consultant on education abroad
The article was written based on materials from the training “System-vector psychology”
Signs of Rumination
To identify rumination in yourself, you need to pay attention to the following signs:
- constant thoughts about annoying, stupid, awkward, unsuccessful and other unpleasant situations;
- constant thoughts about those qualities of oneself, thinking about which does not bring joy;
- concentration on those events of the past that can no longer be influenced;
- long reflection on a conversation or argument that has already taken place.
The main sign that helps to better understand what rumination is is that all a person’s thoughts focus on the negative consequences of an event, and not on how to correct the situation.
How does rumination occur?
It all starts with an unpleasant event that a person thinks about. With ordinary reflection, he would try to understand the essence of the current situation, its causes and options for correction. When ruminating, instead of looking for a solution, a person begins to ask himself the wrong questions like these:
- “Why did this happen to me?”;
- “What did I do to deserve this?”;
- “Why am I such a loser?”;
- “What if this happens to me again?”
Research shows that people with low self-esteem and pessimistic views on life, prone to anxiety, lacking confidence in themselves and their abilities, and wanting to control everything, including things that are beyond their control, are susceptible to rumination.
Why is rumination dangerous?
The main problem with obsessive thoughts is that they haunt a person constantly and prevent him from engaging in productive activities. He cannot concentrate at work, cannot relax properly with family or friends, and in the evening he cannot sleep, because painful thoughts do not allow him to relax.
Rumination is a self-sustaining process. Due to negative experiences, a person’s level of cortisol (stress hormone) increases. And due to increased cortisol levels, experiences become more painful. A person’s anxiety increases, and he begins to worry even more about even small things. At the same time, he does not try to solve or rethink the problem, but only suffers more, risking leading himself to depression or neurosis.
Intrusive thoughts
The presence of obsessive thoughts always indicates the presence of some kind of brain disorder. Therefore, if they are available, it is impossible to give a specific assessment of a person’s condition via the Internet. This requires differential diagnosis with the participation of several doctors of various specializations. The process of such diagnostics is called a medical consultation, which is carried out at the Brain Clinic for each patient free of charge.
Brain Clinic doctors have extensive experience in treating various diseases with obsessive thoughts of varying directions and intensity.
Call!
Our treatment for obsessive thoughts is always effective, even in the most severe cases where previous treatment did not help.
Complaints about intrusive thoughts
- Obsessions
- Repetitive thoughts
- Negligence
- Memory problems
- The need to check or double check
- The need or need to do everything slowly to avoid mistakes
- It's easy to get lost in thought
- Difficulty making decisions
- Feeling that something is stopping you from doing something
- Difficulty concentrating
- Need for repetition of actions
Obsessive thoughts are not mental automatisms and delusional states. Obsessive thoughts are thoughts that your mind consistently leads against your will. An obsessive thought can arise as a flash, without any reason, and most often lead to serious anxiety and significantly reduce the quality of life.
Most often, obsessive thoughts are combined with obsessive actions that are controlled and stimulated by these thoughts. People are usually critical of these thoughts, but contrary to logic and attempts to stop them on their own, they persistently pursue the person, often forcing him to comply with their demands (check several times whether the iron is turned off, whether the door is closed, etc., or thoughts about the presence of a disease , other obsessive thoughts).
Options for obsessive thoughts
Obsessive thoughts can have various variants and manifest themselves in the following forms:
Intrusive thoughts of doubt
Intrusively, contrary to logic and reason, there is uncertainty about the correctness of the actions being performed or completed. For example: is the document written correctly, is the electricity and gas turned off, is the door locked. Despite repeated verification of the completed action.
Intrusive thoughts memories
Intrusive memories of some sad, unpleasant or shameful event for a person, despite efforts not to think about it; obsessive thoughts about bad things that happened in the past.
Intrusive thoughts of presentation
The appearance of obsessive thoughts of implausible ideas and accepting them as reality, despite their absurdity. For example: the belief that a buried person was alive. At the same time, the patient painfully experiences the suffering of the person buried in the grave.
Intrusive thoughts of attraction
An urge to commit some dangerous action, accompanied by a feeling of horror, fear, confusion and the inability to free oneself from these obsessive thoughts of attraction and the emotions accompanying them. For example: suddenly an obsessive thought about wanting to throw yourself under a passing train or push someone under it, an obsessive thought about killing your child, wife, relative, etc. in a cruel way. Moreover, these obsessive thoughts are accompanied by painful experiences that this could really happen.
Obsessive thoughts and fears
Obsessive and senseless fear of heights, large streets, open or vice versa, limited spaces, crowds of people, obsessive thoughts in the head about the fear of getting sick with something, dying suddenly, etc. A wide variety of obsessive thoughts associated with fears may arise. Sometimes global obsessions (panphobia) or fear of fears (phobophobia) arise. Sometimes a critical attitude towards such obsessive thoughts can temporarily relieve acute conditions. It is not uncommon that obsessive thoughts can be accompanied by various rituals - monotonous actions that have the meaning of spells. Rituals are performed for the purpose of protection from any misfortune, even despite the critical attitude towards the actions performed. For example: do not step on hatches, walk around trees on the left/right, say the cherished word, snap your fingers, etc.
Intrusive thoughts of antipathy
Blasphemous and blasphemous obsessive thoughts, including unjustified, frightening antipathy towards a loved one, cynical, unworthy thoughts and ideas in relation to people he respects, obsessive thoughts about bad things.
Intrusive thoughts of fear
In relation to performing habitual actions, fear of getting confused when speaking in public, saying the wrong word, fear of insomnia and performing habitual physiological acts, obsessive thoughts about death.
Violent obsessive thoughts
Thoughts of violence and aggression may occur in people with certain types of anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. As a rule, with obsessive thoughts of cruelty, a person imagines himself in the role of an executioner or an aggressor who carries out violent, aggressive actions aimed at other people. However, a person is afraid of his thoughts, is afraid of harming others, and views himself as a person who poses a danger to others and close people. As a rule, such obsessive thoughts are not realized in reality.
Sexual obsessions
As a rule, this is the presence of thoughts about sexual violence or obsessive thoughts of making unnatural sexual contact, for example with an animal, a corpse, etc. unwanted sexual thoughts of which he himself is afraid, or other obsessive sexual thoughts of a more harmless content.
Obsessive thoughts of neutral content
Obsessive philosophizing, obsessive remembering of forgotten words, terms, formulations, and obsessive counting. This symptomatology may be in the structure of various mental states and requires more detailed diagnosis.
Most mental conditions that occur with obsessive thoughts can be successfully treated, but you need to consult a competent specialist - a psychotherapist.
How to overcome rumination?
Now that we have finally figured out what rumination is and why it is dangerous, it’s time to figure out how to get rid of it. Unfortunately, you can't just stop thinking about something, even if it causes great discomfort. You can cope with rumination only with a methodical approach, consistently following a few simple steps:
Identify the cause
First you need to determine the source of your fears or worries. Perhaps you are in a stupid situation or are afraid of getting into it. Maybe you are afraid that you will be fired or that your boss will treat you worse. It is rarely possible to understand the true cause of anxiety right away, but a diary can help with this. By regularly recording thoughts and experiences, over time you can identify the original source.
Think through the worst-case scenario
Finding a solution to a problem is easier if it is specific. Therefore, at this step you need to ask yourself two questions:
- What is the worst case scenario possible?
- If this happens, how can I fix it?
Having imagined a specific problem, it is much easier to come up with an action plan to correct the situation. After this, the problem will not seem so scary, because you will already have a ready-made solution even for the worst case scenario.
Don't try to control everything
If you cannot influence the situation, accept it. There is no point in worrying about what is beyond your control. If you see that you can fix or improve something, take action. Simply thinking about it will not change the situation.
Take mistakes as an incentive for development
All people perceive failure differently. And the experience of the most successful individuals in history shows that the greatest successes are achieved by those who see valuable experience in mistakes and perceive them as new opportunities. You need to learn from mistakes, and not deny them, not run from them and not try to hide them from yourself.
Schedule time to worry
The main character of the novel “Gone with the Wind” once utters the phrase “I won’t think about it now, I’d rather think about it tomorrow.” This principle should be adopted by every person prone to anxiety. Set aside half an hour a day to think about painful situations, and the rest of the time do not allow yourself such thoughts. As soon as you feel yourself starting to worry, remind yourself that you already have time planned for this.
Practice mindfulness
Mindfulness or mindfulness is a popular practice in modern applied psychology that helps a person track his current state. The main goal of this approach is to think only about current things , without being distracted by the past or future. By developing this skill, you can effectively cope with obsessive thoughts about irrelevant problems.
Play sports
Sports exercise is one of the best ways to distract from negative thoughts and experiences. There are a lot of options here: you can do yoga, exercise your abs, do a little exercise, go for a run, join a gym or a swimming pool. People who regularly exercise are much less susceptible to negative experiences. They are cheerful and optimistic and cope better with any challenge.
You can find other ways to distract yourself from bad thoughts. For some, watching a movie or listening to music can help, while for others, a fascinating book can help. Many people note that all sorts of small chores around the house help to distract from unpleasant thoughts: cleaning, repairs, rearranging, etc.
Friends, if you want to learn how to effectively overcome rumination, as well as reduce the level of stress in life, clear your mind and reboot your consciousness, I advise you to take the “Brain Detoxification” course, which will help you:
- Focus on what's important.
- Reduce stress and anxiety levels.
- Improve the quality of sleep and rest.
- Reduce distraction.
- Get rid of toxic thoughts.
The training consists of 10 lessons and practical tasks. You will receive tools and exercises, as well as video and audio materials. At the end of the course, they will give valuable recommendations for independent practice.
The author of the online training is Victor Shiryaev, an expert in the field of integral philosophy and developmental psychology.
If the course is not suitable for you, then within 7 days you can get your money back.
1) Short circuit in thoughts - sound symptoms
Questions without answers, dead-end, fragmentary thoughts that cannot be thought through, cannot be interrupted, explode your head from the inside, and exhaust you all night long.
Why is everything arranged this way? What am I in the cycle of birth and death? Why consciousness if people are just like animals? What is the meaning of all this?
An exhausted person with a sound vector with a swarm of his questions at some point dreams of understanding how to completely get rid of thoughts in his head. He finds himself in an existential impasse, which boils down to one obsessive thought: “Life has no meaning.”
The brain lives its own life. But the brain is me. But I can't interfere. The thought goes where I don't let it go. But they don’t hear me in my own head. Feels sick of himself. Scary, disgusting, hopeless.
With each new sleepless night, it becomes harder to figure out how to distract yourself from bad thoughts. It seems that there is only one way out - not to be. Suicidal thoughts often occur in this state. It’s scary that you will go crazy from this internal tension or have already gone crazy. An obsessive question arises - how to get rid of thoughts?
Losing control over consciousness is a natural fear of the owner of a sound vector. He identifies himself entirely with his mental work. And if there is a malfunction in it, the sound engineer drowns in a state of hopelessness.
Life feels completely different when the abstract intelligence of a sound artist is used to its full potential.
What do obsessive thoughts, ideas and fears want from us?
The sound artist's desire is meaning. Since the age of six, he has been puzzling himself and those around him with questions: “What is there, outside our galaxy? Where did man come from? Who am I, why was I born?
The sound artist is looking for his meaning everywhere - he can’t help but look. This comes naturally to him. And a kind of obsession with searching is inherent in nature to achieve results. How could any scientist make a breakthrough in science if he did not think about his idea day and night, if it did not occupy all his mental space?
If Perelman, instead of completely concentrating on scientific work, had thought about how to get rid of obsessive thoughts about it, the world would not have seen the proof of the Poincaré hypothesis. A sound engineer, intellectually developed and fulfilled in his profession, thinks selflessly, because he enjoys working with his head more than anything in the world.
Never-ending questions about the structure of the world stir the souls of owners of the sound vector. And there is no mental failure in this. Their brains are designed to solve big problems, to perceive reality three-dimensionally, globally, holistically.
The difficult condition for a sound person is not so much obsession as the content of the thought itself. Problems arise when thoughts cease to correlate with something or someone other than oneself.
When the focus from the outside world shifts to itself, the sound specialist becomes isolated in his own states, which means he cannot achieve the desired comprehension of something more. After all, everything is learned by comparison, by differences, and for this we need other people.
And now obsessive thoughts do not allow you to sleep, and it is not clear how to get rid of them without treatment from a psychiatrist. Neurosis of the sound vector - schizophrenia - is precisely characterized by the fact that a person loses the ability to distinguish internal voices from voices from the outside.
We don’t beat ourselves up—thoughts are involuntary. But we can understand where they came from. And having realized their nature, we can make sure that only those ideas arise that give us the desire to live, think, and act in connection with other people.
How to deal with obsessive thoughts with action?
So, the sound artist strives to reveal the meaning. If he knows how to focus his mind outward, he receives pleasure from this internal effort and from life in general.
If he doesn’t know how, then he doesn’t know WHAT he needs, and the necessary thoughts as a way to achieve what he wants don’t come to mind. Instead, the brain is attacked by obsessive thoughts.
Created to hear and perceive the world more subtly than others, he refuses to listen to this world because the instrument of perception is not configured correctly. And it seems that everyone is an idiot and the world is a dummy. This is how obsessive thoughts are born. And how can you get rid of the exhausting search for answers? You can't get rid of the search. It contains the potential for sonic pleasure. But you can find the answers at Yuri Burlan’s training “System-vector psychology.”
“I stopped having thoughts of suicide and obsessive states. There are no more arguments going on in my head, the voices have gone somewhere imperceptibly, the music is not playing... one thought comes to me, I think about it and make some decision... everything has become so simple. Now, if any “clips” appear in my head, they are positive.”
Ekaterina Z., designer Read the full text of the result
