What is rumination?
Rumination is a behavior that involves repetitively dwelling on one’s feelings and triggering stimuli and events.
According to research (García, Duque, & Cova, 2017), there are four different types of research, which can be either adaptive or maladaptive.
- Reflective
- Deliberate
- Brooding
- Intrusive
Adaptive Rumination
Adaptive rumination refers to types of rumination that can help us better understand different events and emotions.
Reflective rumination refers to the intentional inward reflection of one’s own feelings. It can involve introspectively examining one’s emotions to understand better and process them.
Deliberate rumination is the act of reflecting on a situation or event to understand better the various perspectives involved. This can involve trying to see all sides of a fight with a loved one to better understand the other person’s point of view.
Maladaptive Rumination
Maladaptive rumination refers to types of rumination that can be unhelpful to our emotional well-being and even worsen our symptoms.
Brooding rumination refers to the passive (and constant) thinking about one’s feelings, emotions, or situations. Brooding can look like letting a bad morning fester throughout the day.
Intrusive rumination refers to unwanted (and often uncontrollable) thoughts related to a stressful situation. Intrusive thoughts can look like spontaneously remembering details about a traumatic event and feeling triggered.
Why do People Ruminate?
There are many reasons why someone might ruminate. Some underlying reasons or triggers of triggers include:
- Depression, Anxiety, Stress, or Phobias
- Obsessive disorders
- Traumatic experiences and PTSD
- Needs for control
- Efforts to understand an event or situation
- Efforts to prevent situations from occurring or recurring
How Does Rumination Affect Us?
Rumination can affect us in various ways. When we are intentional about how and when we ruminate on our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, we can…
- Better understand and process our emotions.
- Better understand the feelings and behaviors of others
- Better understand and process traumatic experiences.
- Heal from traumatic experiences.
- Learn and practice adaptive coping skills to manage stress and anxiety.
How Does Rumination Affect Us?
When we are unable to manage rumination through intentional reflection and introspection, rumination can lead to…
- Depression
- Anxiety
- PTSD
- Poor self-esteem or self-image
- Poor coping skills
- Self-fulfilling prophecies
- Spiraling
- These can affect our health, well-being, self-esteem, relationships, and work.
How to Practice Adaptive Rumination
Though it might not seem like it, thoughts can be challenged through adaptive coping. Here are some exercises that can be helpful when managing maladaptive coping:
- Thought Records
- Creating links to understand how our thoughts affect our feelings and our behaviors.
- Distress Tolerance
- Learning to manage one’s own distress.
- Radical Acceptance
- Accepting reality for what it is without dwelling on how things could (or should) be.
Find the Best Therapist in Chicago to Manage Harmful Rumination
Other ways we can manage harmful thoughts and rumination include:
- Self-reflection
- Identifying the benefits (or harm) we might receive from our thoughts.
- Mindfulness
- Using skills like self-soothing, meditation, and relaxation to manage the distress that comes from rumination.
- Behavior Change
- Breaking cycles of unhelpful thought spirals to stop and challenge obsessive rumination.
At Roamers Therapy, our psychotherapists are here to support you through anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship issues, race-ethnicity issues, LGBTQIA+ issues, ADHD, Autism, or any challenges you encounter. Our psychotherapists are trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, and Gottman Therapy.
Whether you’re seeking guidance on a specific issue or need help navigating difficult emotions, we’re ready to assist you every step of the way.
Contact us today to learn more about our services and schedule a session with our mental health professionals to begin your healing journey. To get started with therapy, you can fill out our inquiry form. You may use this form whether you plan to use insurance benefits, self-pay, or out-of-network benefits, and to receive details about your out-of-pocket costs and our therapists’ availability. Once your appointment is confirmed, you’ll receive intake documents to complete before your first session.
This page is also part of the Roamers Therapy Glossary; a collection of mental-health-related definitions that are written by our therapists.
While our offices are currently located at the South Loop neighborhood of Downtown Chicago and Lakeview on Chicago’s North Side, Illinois, we also welcome and serve clients for online therapy from anywhere in Illinois and Washington, D.C. Clients from the Chicagoland area may choose in-office or online therapy and usually commute from surrounding areas such as River North, West Loop, Gold Coast, Old Town, Lincoln Park, Rogers Park, Logan Square, Pilsen, Bridgeport, Little Village, Bronzeville, South Shore, Hyde Park, Back of the Yards, Wicker Park, Bucktown and many more. You can visit our contact page to access detailed information on our office location.