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How to Stop Ruminating

Stuck in a mental loop of worries and problems that seem to have no end? Here’s what you can do.

Feb 1, 2023, The New York Times

Perhaps you spend hours replaying a tense conversation you had with your boss over and over in your head; or maybe you can’t stop thinking about where things went wrong with an ex during the weeks and months after a breakup.

If you find that your thoughts are so excessive and overwhelming that you can’t seem to stop them, or if they’re so distracting that you’re falling behind on responsibilities at work or at home, you’re probably experiencing rumination, said Dr. Tracey Marks, a psychiatrist in private practice in Atlanta.

While rumination is not a mental health condition, it can be a symptom of a larger problem. And in some cases, it can become so encompassing that it requires intervention, Dr. Marks said. Here’s how to tell if your thought patterns have transitioned from regular overthinking into rumination, and how to stop them if they have.

First, identify if you actually have a problem

Thinking and worrying are normal parts of life, said Greg Siegle, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine who studies rumination. Everyone has the capacity to overthink — but a sign of trouble is if your thoughts become so persistent that they’re like “a car without brakes,” he said.

If you realize, “I don’t want to be thinking about this, but I feel like I can’t stop,” that’s when you know your thinking is compulsive and is considered rumination, said Michael Greenberg, a clinical psychologist in private practice in Los Angeles who specializes in rumination and obsessive-compulsive disorder, or O.C.D.

Another potential sign of rumination is if you’re overthinking issues that lack a solution, Dr. Marks said. Replaying an awkward conversation from a party in your head can be normal. But if you can’t stop the loop to the point where you’re distracted from important things you need to do, that’s problematic — especially because your thinking won’t change any outcomes from the past.

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