[DechanDawa]

Suggestions on moving from rumination to action.

Are you asking about how to stop procrastinating?

[DechanDawa]

Originally Posted by rainyday107

Are you asking about how to stop procrastinating?

Rumination is what gets in the way. I wouldn't call it procrastination. Some people might have discussed the behavior of rumination in therapy so I am asking specifically about this behavior.

[amandalouise]

here in my location rumination goes hand in hand with OCD, its where a person constantly / obsessively focuses, thinks and rethinks and rethinks and on their mental disorders and all the what if's this and what if's that and in the end cant move forwards because they are so focuses on just thinking all angles out rather than trying things to see if something works.

here the treatment for this is writing out goals and then accomplishing those goals...

rather than sitting around thinking ....

Im so depressed, I want to get better maybe I can call my doctor and get some meds but what if the meds make me worse, what if the meds cause me to feel sick, man Im so sad, I dont find enjoyment in anything, maybe I will get dressed today but what if I do get dressed what will that accomplish what can I do after I get dressed what if I get dressed and then have no where to go, I dont feel like doing this or that, but I wish I could go here or there, but then that takes getting dressed ... in the end why bother getting dressed why bother with meds why bother with anything at all..

setting goals...

call doctor for meds..what if.. no no what ifs a goal is just writing a to do list.call the doctor.

get dressed. but what it no no no no we are making a list doesnt matter if we do it just write a list get dressed.

make breakfast.

go shopping

take meds

ok now I have a list and all these what ifs going through my head Im only going to pick on goal to do today and just do it no ands, if's and buts. get dressed heres my shirt heres my pants there im dressed now what if ...forget it I accomplished my one goal today

then the next day set another list of goals to pick one item from...

[DechanDawa]

Originally Posted by amandalouise

here in my location rumination goes hand in hand with OCD, its where a person constantly / obsessively focuses, thinks and rethinks and rethinks and on their mental disorders and all the what if's this and what if's that and in the end cant move forwards because they are so focuses on just thinking all angles out rather than trying things to see if something works.

here the treatment for this is writing out goals and then accomplishing those goals...

rather than sitting around thinking ....

Im so depressed, I want to get better maybe I can call my doctor and get some meds but what if the meds make me worse, what if the meds cause me to feel sick, man Im so sad, I dont find enjoyment in anything, maybe I will get dressed today but what if I do get dressed what will that accomplish what can I do after I get dressed what if I get dressed and then have no where to go, I dont feel like doing this or that, but I wish I could go here or there, but then that takes getting dressed ... in the end why bother getting dressed why bother with meds why bother with anything at all..

setting goals...

call doctor for meds..what if.. no no what ifs a goal is just writing a to do list.call the doctor.

get dressed. but what it no no no no we are making a list doesnt matter if we do it just write a list get dressed.

make breakfast.

go shopping

take meds

ok now I have a list and all these what ifs going through my head Im only going to pick on goal to do today and just do it no ands, if's and buts. get dressed heres my shirt heres my pants there im dressed now what if ...forget it I accomplished my one goal today

then the next day set another list of goals to pick one item from...

Yes. Excellent reply. It is like OCD in the mind. It starts there. I can see where goal setting and meeting small goals can cut through this mental behavior. In the past I was very good at goal setting and accomplishing goals. In this way I actually did accomplish a lot personally and professionally. But now the rumination has been getting in the way. You explained this mental behavior to a tee. I also think your suggestion for setting and doing even small goals is exactly what is needed to break through this behavior. You explained it beautifully. Thank you very much.

[DechanDawa]

amandalouise seemed to really understand what I was talking about. Rumination isn't exactly like procrastination although they are like cousins. For me rumination has been a torture because whenever I think about doing something I go over everything about it in my mind and try to think about every possibility and outcome. So I can relate to the OCD thing because that is how it is only inside my mind. I will go over things endlessly. Actually, it is very boring as well, and the mental boredom of it is like pain. It is amazing how helpful Psych Central can be. There is a lot of wisdom here. So, if others suffer from excessive rumination, try what amandalouise has suggested. Keep a goal list. It can be small goals. I have diet goals and exercise goals, and I also have bigger personal and professional goals. I can now organize these goals and work on them. I also need to find a support group and more social outlets so I stay out of my mind. Thanks again, amandalouise.

Rumination has come as a big hit to my emotional well being. I go from depressed, to irritated, to resentment, to all out anger.

I ended up in the hospital a year ago the depression had gotten so bad - and I blame rumination for it. Rumination feeds off rumination in a continuous cycle.

What things led to rumination? The primary act was writing a journal. It started out simply but soon became pages and pages of rants against the world for past wrongs and losses.

What do I do now to avoid it?

Of course, I stay away from journalling.
I have been finding alternate activities to those I terribly miss (and have blamed the world for preventing me)
I make an effort to engage myself with other people in an attempt to avoid down time where my mind wanders
And CBT has become a way of life: it has led to more confidence and sense of worth. Most importantly it has led me away from the thoughts I am deserving of the ills that have affected me.

[DechanDawa]

Originally Posted by justafriend306

Rumination has come as a big hit to my emotional well being. I go from depressed, to irritated, to resentment, to all out anger.

I ended up in the hospital a year ago the depression had gotten so bad - and I blame rumination for it. Rumination feeds off rumination in a continuous cycle.

What things led to rumination? The primary act was writing a journal. It started out simply but soon became pages and pages of rants against the world for past wrongs and losses.

What do I do now to avoid it?

Of course, I stay away from journalling.
I have been finding alternate activities to those I terribly miss (and have blamed the world for preventing me)
I make an effort to engage myself with other people in an attempt to avoid down time where my mind wanders
And CBT has become a way of life: it has led to more confidence and sense of worth. Most importantly it has led me away from the thoughts I am deserving of the ills that have affected me.

Hmm. So many good points to ponder. Thank you so much for this. I may tuck my journal away for awhile. I tend to ruminate in it, I think. I need to check into this. And definitely I need more social interaction. I am sorry rumination caused you so much pain, but I really understand. I want to get mine under control.

[Yours_Truly]

I think I stopped keeping my journals because of this exactly, just never really realized it before.

[Erin Hay Hay]

I am trying a new approach to my intrusive thoughts. In my case, rumination brings me to a state of anxiousness as I go on and on about all the possible catastrophical scenarios. What I am doing now is forcing myself to embrace those anxious thoughts, asking my mind to give me more of that anxiousness, paying attention to what my physical reaction is like (do I feel my heart rate go up? Shortness of breath? chills?) and I try to stay in that moment for a while.

I've found out that anxiety is quite a coward enemy: when you run towards it, it goes away pretty quickly. Intrusive thoughts are still there, but now I ruminate way less!

[LeeeLeee]

Rumination comes from a term referring to a cow chewing over something repetitively and at length. We do this by thinking and re-thinking and thinking again. It looks different for everyone.

For me, rumination came about because I was feeding it with information on social media. Every day I would do my routine which, in retrospect, looked like "digging for pain" looking for the results I was afraid of, confirming my suspicions, and on and on. I would think about it all, endlessly from morning to night. I knew it wasn't normal and I hid my pain from everyone.

When I look back on in now I can't believe how long I endured it.

Here's what helped:

Every night before bed, I started listening to this:
A Micheal Sealey mindfulness mediation. It helped me become objective about the thought forms in the state of rumination and thus helped me take the power out of the anxiety episodes.

after using for many nights in a row, falling asleep to it most of the time, I was able to recognize what was happening and decidedly "not follow" the emotional road beckoning from the thought forms, if that makes sense. So the thought would appear and I would say to myself, "there it goes again."

THE MOST HELPFUL thing I did was to eliminate the core issue fueling my anxiety. I know sometimes it seems impossible , i.e. you can't eliminate family members but what you can change is the way you engage the things that start or perpetuate the cycle.

Best of luck. Keep coming back to the forums.

[Gus1234U]

watch carefully, and you will see that the mind tends to magnify what it is focused upon. so choose your focus wisely.

[setfree29]

I am reading a book where I am learning alot about rumination, which I do alot of. Unfortunately I live with my mom at this time and don't have a whole lot to do so I have alot of time on my hands and that's where the rumination starts in and nags at me all day long. Help!!

[DechanDawa]

What Erin Hay Hay suggests is very courageous. I don't think this would work for me. The last thing I would want to do is ask my mind for more anxiousness. I am sure my mind would be very generous and would throw in some panic attacks!

I looked at my journal and see that I have been trying to problem solve in it, but it slips into rumination very easily. I think keeping a journal would be okay as long as it outlines things I am DOING rather than things I am THINKING.

I meditated today and it went well, and I remember meditation helped me in the past so now I am going to keep a daily meditation practice.

Another thing I have done in the past is just GET MOVING. Sometimes I go out...even just to do a small errand...and changing the scenery helps.

I have gotten into a really bad habit with excessive and severe rumination, and now I see I have to be very forceful to decrease it. I think justafriend306's experience can serve as a warning of what can happen if we don't nip rumination in the bud.

[DechanDawa]

Originally Posted by setfree29

I am reading a book where I am learning alot about rumination, which I do alot of. Unfortunately I live with my mom at this time and don't have a whole lot to do so I have alot of time on my hands and that's where the rumination starts in and nags at me all day long. Help!!

I understand. But if you have a rumination problem then resolving it is what can keep you busy! Think of how happy it will make you feel to gain mastery over this painful mental habit. Start an activity log so you can see what you do with your time. If you are just sitting and ruminating, then that is what will be in your log! Tonight I have recorded, in my activity log..."made dinner, ate dinner on balcony while watching sunset over the mountains," and "meditated, 20 minutes," and now, "posting on Psych Central." Write down everything you do in an activity log. Later on you can rate how each activity made you feel. For instance, I would give my meditation 3 stars. So it is an activity worth repeating. Good Luck!

[DechanDawa]

Originally Posted by LeeeLeee

Rumination comes from a term referring to a cow chewing over something repetitively and at length. We do this by thinking and re-thinking and thinking again. It looks different for everyone.

For me, rumination came about because I was feeding it with information on social media. Every day I would do my routine which, in retrospect, looked like "digging for pain" looking for the results I was afraid of, confirming my suspicions, and on and on. I would think about it all, endlessly from morning to night. I knew it wasn't normal and I hid my pain from everyone.

When I look back on in now I can't believe how long I endured it.

Here's what helped:

Every night before bed, I started listening to this:
A Micheal Sealey mindfulness mediation. It helped me become objective about the thought forms in the state of rumination and thus helped me take the power out of the anxiety episodes.

after using for many nights in a row, falling asleep to it most of the time, I was able to recognize what was happening and decidedly "not follow" the emotional road beckoning from the thought forms, if that makes sense. So the thought would appear and I would say to myself, "there it goes again."

THE MOST HELPFUL thing I did was to eliminate the core issue fueling my anxiety. I know sometimes it seems impossible , i.e. you can't eliminate family members but what you can change is the way you engage the things that start or perpetuate the cycle.

Best of luck. Keep coming back to the forums.

Great reply! I love Michael Sealey. I used to listen to him all the time but got out of the habit. But he is wonderful. Thanks for reminding me that Michael is still there for me and everyone.

I find that when I am battling a lot of rumination it goes along with negative self regard. So this is a bad time for me to go on Facebook. I have trained myself to just leave Facebook alone when I am going through a particularly hard time. It really helps but it took me awhile to gain the discipline to be able to go on and off Facebook at will.

The same goes for all sites, I think, even community forums such as Psych Central. We can benefit from taking a break.

[Erin Hay Hay]

Originally Posted by DechanDawa

Great reply! I love Michael Sealey. I used to listen to him all the time but got out of the habit. But he is wonderful. Thanks for reminding me that Michael is still there for me and everyone.

I find that when I am battling a lot of rumination it goes along with negative self regard. So this is a bad time for me to go on Facebook. I have trained myself to just leave Facebook alone when I am going through a particularly hard time. It really helps but it took me awhile to gain the discipline to be able to go on and off Facebook at will.

The same goes for all sites, I think, even community forums such as Psych Central. We can benefit from taking a break.

I absolutely love that video! It was the only thing that gets me to sleep in this horrible heat

If I can, I would also suggest the videos of Katie d'Ath which you can find on youtube and are absolutely great for people with OCD/rumination. It was her who gave me the idea of embracing anxiety instead o trying to alleviate it with distractions -but she explains it way better than me

Someone above mentioned a link between Rumination and OCD. I whole heartedly agree. I was placed on an anti-obsessive (Citalopram) and it seemed to help. But at the same time I was making an effort to change my behaviors and take CBT. So I'm not so sure what the real source of the improvement was.

I am off the Citalopram now. Yes, I have noticed a return to some anxiety and obsessive behavior but the rumination seems behind me. Thus, I am chalking that up to the alternate behaviors I taught myself and have made an effort to adhere to.