This post will discuss how to stop worrying, overthinking, and ruminating using evidence-based methods. You know what worry is but have you heard about rumination? You’ve likely come across articles titled “5 Ways to Know If You Are Ruminating” or “3 Simple Steps to Stop Ruminating.” While rumination may not be as trendy a buzzword as anxiety, trauma, or boundaries, it’s an experience that many of us struggle with. I wish it were as easy to resist rumination as the above titles suggest. While changing your thought process is challenging, it is possible! Download my free guide here.
What is Rumination?
According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of ruminate is as follows:
**Ruminated; Ruminating** 
**Synonyms of Ruminate**
*Transitive verb*
1. To go over in the mind repeatedly and often casually or slowly.
2. To chew repeatedly for an extended period.
*Intransitive verb*
1. To chew again what has been chewed slightly and swallowed; chew the cud.
2. To engage in contemplation; reflect.
The word ruminate is commonly associated with cows because they swallow their food and regurgitate it as cud only to continue to chew on it. Does this resonate with you?
Do you find yourself thinking about something, letting it go (briefly), only to let it back in your mind and begin thinking about it again? Have you ever really wanted to stop thinking about something, realizing it isn’t helping, but feel helpless when you try to stop and can’t? Like a cow with it’s cud, you are ruminating.
Dr. Michael J. Greenberg, a specialist in OCD treatment, describes rumination as “mental engagement with the problem.” This includes analyzing, problem-solving, worrying, and overthinking. The issues we ruminate about can be internal, like unwanted thoughts or feelings, or external, such as difficult relationships or past traumas.
Is there a difference between Rumination and Worry?
While worry and rumination are similar, they have distinct characteristics:
**Worry** tends to focus on future events and is more commonly associated with feelings of anxiety.
**Rumination** often revolves around past experiences and is more commonly associated with feelings of depression.
Despite their differences they are “friends” just like anxiety and depression – they often go hand in hand. We might be ruminating about past experiences AND worrying about how they impact our future. We can worry about future problems and ruminate on past experiences to figure out how to solve problems that haven’t occurred yet. Either way, left unchecked, these processes burden our minds and enhance our suffering.
Worry and rumination are mental strategies a person uses to regulate uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. While everyone does this from time to time, not everyone relies on them excessively. Both worry and rumination are common contributors and maintainers of negative thoughts and feelings as seen in anxiety disorders, depression, OCD, and PTSD.
Why do we worry and Ruminate?
The short answer is we do this because it provides some level of immediate and short term relief. Like most compulsions, they are effective in reducing negative thoughts and feelings, but we know they don’t help long term. Excessive worry and rumination keep anxiety alive, fuel depression, and maintain other negative emotions and experiences.
Mental strategies such as worry, overthinking and rumination can be hard to moderate because they feel automatic and at times they are subtle and seem beneficial. In reality, they make things worse.
Examples of Subtle Rumination
- “venting” to a friend
- “processing” with a therapist
- journaling when used to problem-solve on paper within the context of rumination
- prayer when used to problem-solve out loud via spiritual practices within the context of rumination
Advantages of Rumination
- it helps to move on and let things go
- it feels productive
- it doesn’t hurt anyone else
- eliminates having to ask for help
- leads to
- is a sign of thoughtfulness and care
With all these advantages why would anyone want to stop ruminating? Let’s consider the disadvantages of rumination.
Disadvantages of Rumination
- leads to feeling anxious
- leads to feeling depressed
- steals time and energy
- only able to see the negative
- often doesn’t produce solutions
- isolating
- miss out on the present
Is it possible to stop worrying, overthinking, and ruminating?
I’ve heard the statement “I’ve always been a worrier,” times to numerous to count. I’ve even made this statement about myself. I take this statement to mean that because I have “always” worried this is how my mind works and I have no choice but to accept it. Many people believe that there is no way to stop worrying, overthinking, and ruminating.
It is possible to stop ruminating, worrying, and overthinking.
Before you try to convince me otherwise, just know that I was in your shoes at one point- stuck in a chronic state of worrying in an effort to solve problems, figure something out, and analyze and monitor myself and others. When I first heard that rumination was a choice (the nerve!), I took offense. “There is no way that I would choose this for myself!”
Here is the bright side – if we can choose this for ourselves, we can decide not to choose it too.
Let me clarify:
We cannot choose what thoughts enter our minds. We can choose how we respond to those thoughts.
If you are thinking, “Yes, I can choose what thoughts enter my mind,” then you might be using a tactic known as though suppression. Again I will say, it is impossible to control every thought that enters your mind. In fact, the more you try to suppress certain thoughts, the more likely they are to resurface. Picture a beach ball that you are trying to hold under water. Sure, you can keep it underwater but you have to actively be holding it down. What aren’t you able to do while you are holding the beach ball under water? Everything else! The moment you let go, it will pop back up to the surface.
What if there really is something to worry about?
Of course there is, was, and will be! For example when you are worried about your anxious child or teen, or when you are experiencing a crisis of faith. I am not advocating for stopping all forms of thinking, considering, evaluating, and analyzing. I’m simply suggesting that we can set boundaries on them when needed and appropriate.
How to stop worrying, overthinking, and ruminating
This explanation is going to be overly simplistic and not account for nuances in each individual’s situation, but it will provide a helpful overview of common strategies to help you stop ruminating.
1- Identify your unique advantages and disadvantages of rumination. List them out. It is important to know what you believe about your thoughts.
2- Decide if rumination is something you want to reduce or control and if you are willing to challenge or ignore previously held beliefs about your thoughts.
3- Start by setting a worry/rumination schedule
with a specific start and end time each day. Delay all worries and topics for rumination until the scheduled time.
4- Practice redirecting your attention.
5- Learn the skill of detached mindfulness (different from meditative mindfulness).
6- Repeat as often as necessary and enlist professional support when needed.
Overcome Worry and rumination with Support
As a reminder, in small doses these thought processes can be helpful and has benefits. Frequent and prolonged use of your mind in this way is burdensome and destructive. The good news is that you don’t have to live like this forever.
Lindsey Pace, LCSW offers evidence-based mental health services to help you overcome this struggle. Other services include anxiety therapy, ERP therapy, OCD treatment, therapy for women, and Christian counseling. Online therapy is provided throughout Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida. We also see clients in person at our office in Clemmons, North Carolina. For more about us check out our FAQs and blog!
If you’ve spent more time than you’d like stuck in a state of rumination, and you want to learn how to choose not to worry and overthink, schedule an appointment today.