SUBSCRIBE

MENTAL WELL-BEING Life Youth in Focus

10 Tips to Help You Stop

Ruminating
Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, PhD,
PsyD — By Erica Cirino — Updated on Apr 18,
2019

Causes Tips Bottom line

You can stop repetitive dark

thoughts with methods that include
distracting yourself or meditating.
Lingering in these thoughts may
intensify feelings of depression.
ADVERTISEMENT

What is rumination?
Has your head ever been filled with one single
thought, or a string of thoughts, that just keep
repeating… and repeating… and repeating
themselves?

The process of continuously thinking about the

same thoughts, which tend to be sad or dark,
is called rumination.

A habit of rumination can be dangerous to

your mental health, as it can prolong or
intensify depression as well as impair your
ability to think and process emotions. It may
also cause you to feel isolated and can, in
reality, push people away.

ADVERTISEMENT

Professional therapy, done online

BetterHelp can make starting therapy easier. Fill out
a brief questionnaire to get matched within 48
hours and enjoy an exclusive 20% off your first
month.

Enjoy 20% off your first month with code

"Healthline"

GET STARTED

Preferred by
3 million+ Access
94% of
helped Therapy 24/7
users

What causes ruminating?

People ruminate for a variety of reasons.
According to the American Psychological
Association, some common reasons for
rumination include:

belief that by ruminating, you’ll gain

insight into your life or a problem

having a history of emotional or physical

trauma

facing ongoing stressors that can’t be

controlled

Ruminating is also common in people who

possess certain personality characteristics,
which include perfectionism, neuroticism, and
an excessive focus on one’s relationships with
others.

You might have a tendency to overvalue your

relationships with others so much that you’ll
make large personal sacrifices to maintain your
relationships, even if they’re not working for
you.
ADVERTISEMENT

Take this certi,ed online IQ test to

discover your accurate IQ score

test-iq.org Open

Tips for addressing ruminating

thoughts
Once you get stuck in a ruminating thought
cycle, it can be hard to get out of it. If you do
enter a cycle of such thoughts, it’s important to
stop them as quickly as possible to prevent
them from becoming more intense.

As when a ball is rolling downhill, it’s easier to

stop the ruminating thoughts when they first
start rolling and have less speed than when
they’ve gathered speed over time.

So, what can you do to stop these obsessive

thoughts from running through your mind?

Here are 10 tips to try when you begin to

experience the same thought, or set of
thoughts, swirling around your head:

1. Distract yourself

When you realize you’re starting to ruminate,

finding a distraction can break your thought
cycle. Look around you, quickly choose
something else to do, and don’t give it a
second thought. Consider:

calling a friend or family member

doing chores around your house

watching a movie

drawing a picture

reading a book

walking around your neighborhood

2. Plan to take action

Instead of repeating the same negative

thought over and over again, take that thought
and make a plan to take action to address it.

In your head, outline each step you need to

take to address the problem, or write it down
on a piece of paper. Be as specific as possible
and also realistic with your expectations.

Doing this will disrupt your rumination. It will

also help you move forward in the attempt to
get a negative thought out of your head once
and for all.

3. Take action

Once you’ve outlined a plan of action to

address your ruminating thoughts, take one
small step to address the issue. Refer to the
plan you made to solve the problem you’ve
been obsessing over.

Move forward with each step slowly and

incrementally until your mind is put at ease.

4. Question your thoughts

We often ruminate when we think we’ve made

a major mistake or when something traumatic
has happened to us that we feel responsible
for.

If you start ruminating on a troubling thought,

try putting your repetitive thought in
perspective.

Thinking more about how your troubling

thought might not be accurate may help you
stop ruminating because you realize the
thought makes little sense.

5. Readjust your life’s goals

Perfectionism and unrealistic goal setting can

lead to rumination. If you set goals that are
unrealistic, you may start to focus on why and
how you haven’t reached a goal, or what you
should have done to reach it.

Setting more realistic goals that you’re capable

of achieving can reduce the risks of
overthinking your own actions.

6. Work on enhancing your self-

esteem

Many people who ruminate report difficulties

with self-esteem. In fact, lack of self-esteem
can be associated with increased rumination.
It’s also been linked with increased risk of
depression.

Enhancement of self-esteem can be

accomplished in many ways. For instance,
building on existing strengths can add to a
sense of mastery, which can enhance self-
esteem.

Some people may choose to work on the

enhancement of self-esteem in psychotherapy.
As you enhance your self-esteem, self-efficacy
may also be enhanced. You may find that
you’re better able to control rumination.

7. Try meditation

Meditating can reduce rumination because it

involves clearing your mind to arrive at an
emotionally calm state.

When you find yourself with a repeating loop

of thoughts in your mind, seek out a quiet
space. Sit down, breathe deeply, and focus on
nothing but breathing.

8. Understand your triggers

Each time you find yourself ruminating, make a

mental note of the situation you’re in. This
includes where you are, what time of day it is,
who’s around you (if anyone), and what you’ve
been doing that day.

Developing ways to avoid or manage these

triggers can reduce your rumination.

9. Talk to a friend

Ruminating thoughts can make you feel

isolated. Talking about your thoughts with a
friend who can offer an outside perspective
may help break the cycle.

Be sure to speak with a friend who can give

you that perspective rather than ruminate with
you.

10. Try therapy

If your ruminating thoughts are taking over

your life, you may want to consider therapy. A
therapist can help you identify why you’re
ruminating and how to address the problems
at their core.

Lifestyle changes

If you’re a long-time ruminator who wants to

bring an end to your repetitive negative
thoughts, here are some simple changes you
can make to your life that can help do just that:

Be proactive in trying to solve your

problems. First identify problems in your
life and then start taking actions to solve
your problems, one step at a time

Set your own expectations. Negative

ruminating thoughts can creep in when
we question our self-worth. Praise
yourself for your successes and forgive
yourself for your mistakes. Constantly
work on building your self-esteem by
taking care of yourself and doing things
you enjoy and excel at.

Create a support system. Having friends

and family members, and maybe even a
therapist, any of whom you can call on for
help when something goes wrong or
when you’re having a bad day, is so
important. These special people may
distract you from your ruminating
thoughts and are also likely to boost your
self-esteem.

HEALTHLINE NEWSLETTER

Get tips to help manage anxiety &

depression
We'll send you advice from our experts to help
you understand your triggers and manage your
mental health in our twice-weekly Anxiety &
Depression newsletter.

Enter your email

SIGN UP

Your privacy is important to us

It is possible to stop ruminating

If you’re a ruminator, it’s important to know
some tips that may help you to stop your
thought cycle in its tracks before it spirals out
of control.

It’s also important to be proactive and take

steps to prevent yourself from ruminating in
the first place.

With awareness and some lifestyle changes,

it’s possible to free yourself from ruminating
thoughts. If you find that you’re unable to use
these tips to help your rumination, you should
consider contacting a mental health
professional for assistance.

ADVERTISEMENT

Explore online talk

therapy options

BetterHelp

Great for a large network of licensed

therapists

$60 to $90/week, billed every 4

weeks
Therapy via messaging, phone, or
live video chat
Flexible cancellation at any time

20% off your first month

LEARN MORE

Hers

Great for online medication delivery

$49 to $85/month, billed monthly

Unlimited check-ins via online
messaging
FDA-approved medication for anxiety
and depression available

Get 70% off your first month

LEARN MORE

Online-Therapy.com

Great for cognitive behavioral therapy

$40 to $88/week, billed monthly

Therapy via messaging, live video
chat, and worksheets
Multi-faceted program includes
videos, journaling, and yoga

20% off your first month

LEARN MORE

Talkspace

Great for additional psychiatry services

$69 to $129/week, with billing

options available
Therapy via messaging, phone, or
live video chat
Psychiatric treatment and
prescription management available

Use code 'SPACE' for $100 off your

first subscription

LEARN MORE

Privacy policy

Last medically reviewed on April 18, 2019

How we reviewed this article:

SOURCES HISTORY

Our experts continually monitor the health and

wellness space, and we update our articles
when new information becomes available.
Current Version

Apr 18, 2019

Written By
Erica Cirino

Edited By
Heather Hobbs

Medically Reviewed By
Timothy J. Legg, PhD, PsyD

Share this article

 v  

READ THIS NEXT

Racing Thoughts: What to Do

When Your Mind Is Racing
Learn some strategies that can help you
manage racing thoughts, plus insight into wh…
may be causing them.

READ MORE

6 Daily Hacks That Help

Manage High-Functioning
Anxiety
If you have high-functioning anxiety, you may
be constantly overthinking, overdoing, and…
overpreparing. You may seem fine to others,
while inside you…
READ MORE

What Are the Benefits of Self-

Talk?
Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, PhD,
PsyD

READ MORE

Crazy Talk: My Disturbing

Thoughts Won’t Go Away.
What Do I Do?
Ever had a thought that came out of nowhere
and buried itself inside your brain? That’s an…
intrusive thought. Intrusive thoughts can be
recurring…
READ MORE

Intrusive Thoughts: Why We

Have Them and How to Stop
Them
Intrusive thoughts can be unexpected and
upsetting. Learn why we have intrusive…
thoughts, when they may become a problem,
and how to manage them.
READ MORE

The Best Mental Health

Podcasts to Take You
Through the Year
Medically reviewed by Nicole Washington, DO,
MPH

Here are 11 of the best podcasts for a variety of

mental health needs, whether you want…
straight science, apt advice, or just a break.

READ MORE

Therapy for Every Budget:

How to Access It
Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson,
Ph.D., MSN, R.N., IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT

Finding a therapist is a huge step in caring for

your mental health. To help get you started,…
here’s a list of affordable mental health care
options.
READ MORE

How Common Is Dissociative

Identity Disorder (DID)?
Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson,
Ph.D., MSN, R.N., IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT

Although dissociation is a relatively common

experience, DID is a rare and often…
misunderstood condition. With treatment, you
can begin to feel better.
READ MORE

Defining — and Addressing —

Toxic Masculinity
Medically reviewed by Danielle Wade, LCSW

Toxic masculinity has become a hot topic in

recent years, but what does it actually mean?

READ MORE
BetterHelp Online Therapy: A
2023 Review
Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson,
Ph.D., MSN, R.N., IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT

BetterHelp is an online therapy service that

allows you to text-chat with a licensed…
therapist. Learn how it works, what to consider,
and whether it’s…
READ MORE

v  z  

Get our wellness newsletter

Filter out the noise and nurture your inbox with
health and wellness advice that’s inclusive and
rooted in medical expertise.

Enter your email SIGN UP

Your privacy is important to us

About Us Medical Affairs

Contact Us Content Integrity

Privacy Policy Newsletters

Privacy Settings

Advertising Policy

Health Topics

© 2023 Healthline Media LLC. All rights reserved. Our

website services, content, and products are for
informational purposes only. Healthline Media does not
provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. See
additional information. See additional information.

About | Careers | Advertise with us

OUR BRANDS
Healthline
Medical News Today
Greatist
Psych Central
Bezzy