Rumination (psychology)
repetitive patterns of anxious and obsessive thinking that occur in depression set up a vicious circle. This kind of preoccupation is the mind’s attempt to make sense of things but trying to solve unfathomable problems keeps us stuck in a mental groove and prevents us moving forward. Depression has another inbuilt circularity because, when we are d
... See moreSue Stuart-Smith • The Well Gardened Mind
Solving problems is the positive, healthy function of worry, but worry can easily turn into a bad habit of endless rumination about frightening, threatening, or simply annoying matters that ultimately cannot be solved.
Martin Rossman • The Worry Solution: Using breakthrough brain science to turn stress and anxiety into confidence and happiness
rumination is part of the problem, not part of the solution.
Mark Williams • The Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness
In compassionate reasoning and thinking, we train our minds to focus on reasoning and thinking about others, ourselves, our relationships and the situations in which we find ourselves in a helpful way. When we ruminate on our anxiety, disappointment or anger, this is only going to lock these feelings in. So can we practise deliberately choosing to
... See morePaul Gilbert • The Compassionate Mind (Compassion Focused Therapy)
In fact, studies by the late Susan Nolen-Hoeksema and her collaborators found that if we spend too much time trying to “get to the bottom” of why we’re depressed, we can actually feel worse as our minds begin to ruminate unproductively.