What is Rumination?
Rumination is a persistent, repetitive and prolonged thinking about negative content, one’s self, feelings or upsetting events. Examples of ruminative thinking include thoughts like “my mood is so bad”, “I’m such a looser”, “why do I react so negatively?”, or “why do I have problems other people don’t have?” Rumination has been greatly involved in the onset and perpetuation of depression and other mental health disorders.
Ruminative thinking can worsen psychopathology by magnifying and extending negative mood states and thought patterns. It interferes with effective problem solving and reaching goals.
What are the Effects of Rumination?
One of the major effects of rumination is its ability to intensify and perpetuate existing emotional states like anger, sadness, anxiety and depression. This magnifying effect occurs because rumination increases self-focus and traps individuals in cycles of rumination, where negative mood fuels negative thinking, and vice versa. These cycles emphasise the gap between one’s desired state and actual reality, making this disparity feel even more pronounced.
The repetitive vicious cycles of rumination and strong negative affect can lead to poorly regulated responses aimed at escaping these aversive states. These can include distractions or impulsive behaviors like reassurance-seeking, binge eating, substance use, and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI).
Ruminative thinking impairs effective problem solving by making people more pessimistic and less capable of resolving difficulties. It is associated with increased uncertainty and avoidance of challenging situations.
Many impulsive behaviours, such as substance abuse, binging on food and self-harm are often employed to escape or temporarily shut off strong negative emotions. Following substance or alcohol abuse, rumination tends to increase and is also linked with heightened body dissatisfaction, binge eating, and sleep disturbances. Furthermore, ruminative thinking negatively affects cardiovascular health, increases level of cortisol and suppresses T lymphocytes which impacts immune function activity.
What Causes Rumination?
Several factors can increase the tendency to ruminate, including early adverse experiences such as childhood emotional or sexual abuse, unhelpful parenting styles, difficult life circumstances, and biological predispositions.
The ruminative response style is thought to be learnt, primarily during childhood, through observing parents who model passive coping strategies like avoidance, denial, or escape from stressors. Additionally, overcritical, intrusive, or overly controlling parenting can foster rumination. Depressive rumination is more prevalent among women than men.
Other findings suggest that perfectionism - having extremely high standards - can contribute to the frequency and duration of ruminative thinking. Societal beliefs that place excessive emphasis on happiness and avoidance of negative emotional states further fuel rumination.
How to Break the Cycle of Ruminative Thinking?
Once habits form, they are resistant to changes and difficult to stop, making it challenging to break free of rumination. However, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) has been shown to be highly effective in reducing ruminative thinking by challenging negative thought patterns and increasing rewarding behaviours.
Addressing habitual behaviour involves identifying triggers for rumination, limiting exposure to cues, and practicing alternative responses repeatedly. These strategies can help individuals form healthier habits.
Mindfulness practice can also be useful, as it encourages individuals to focus on their breath, thoughts, and feelings in a non-judgmental and accepting manner. Mindfulness can offer a way to step out of habitual cycles of rumination and develop alternative responses to strong negative emotions.
Source:
Watkins, E. R., & Roberts, H. (2020). Reflecting on rumination: Consequences, causes, mechanisms and treatment of rumination. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 127, 103573–28.
Comments