Think of your attention like a flashlight that can only focus on a few items at once. Ruminating is what happens when your flashlight gets stuck on specific negative thoughts, challenging past experiences, and ideas about yourself. No matter what else might be happening around you, you keep going back to these thoughts again and again. This thinking pattern can have really painful consequences, like the contributing to the development and onset of depression.
The next time you find yourself ruminating, try one of these three science-backed strategies:
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Distract yourself: Consciously choose to shift your flashlight to something else—ideally, it should be something immersive, that takes up your full attention. Fully immersive experiences (like playing a game, reading a book, or making something) are often the most powerful.
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Practice mindfulness: Being mindful is about witnessing all of your thoughts as they come up, without any sort of judgment. Practice noticing your thoughts and describing them, using phrases like, “I’m thinking about that painful experience right now.” Instead of fixating your flashlight on one thought, you allow it to move along with the flow of all of your thoughts.
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Move your body: Sometimes, getting into our bodies helps us to get out of our heads. Go for a walk or do a workout, or engage in a sport of some kind. You might find that your flashlight naturally moves away from the difficult thought.