Stress and anxiety have become part of our day to day. Evidence of this is that 4 out of 10 women in Spain say they feel stressed or in stressful situations. A majority compared to the number in men, which is often linked to concerns at work, in family, personal life and that can often prevent us from disconnecting in our free time in the form of excessive and repetitive worry in our mind.
we talk about thoughts excessive, negative and repetitive that can range from current worries to past experiences, problems, worries about the future… Worries that can affect our rest, work, our mental well-being and even our health. Vicious circles of thought that lead to severe mental exhaustion and that could be related to what is known as mental or cognitive rumiation syndrome.
What is mental rumination syndrome?
The syndrome of mental rumination has to do with those repetitive thoughts that the mind does not stop turning over and over again. Thoughts and ideas that, although you want to make them disappear from the mind, inevitably return to it as something beyond our control. A kind of ‘broken record’ that makes us enter a vicious circle of negativity from which it seems impossible to get out.
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a psychological process mostly affects women of all ages, as indicated in this study from the University of Sonoraand that appears when there is a focus of attention that remains anchored in an element that can be both real and imagined, and that causes us discomfort, stress and anxiety. This repetitive thought becomes constant and makes us feel in a kind of loop. It is precisely the level of anxiety and stress that produces the repetition of these thoughts, which makes it difficult to make decisions or reach a solution to that problem.
Most frequent types of cognitive rumination syndrome
These kinds of thoughts are done passively by the person suffering from the syndrome and depending on their orientation, they can be differentiated into several types:
- Ugly depressive
- Rumination in generalized anxiety disorder
- Rumination in post-traumatic stress disorder
- Rumination in social phobia
- Rumination in obsessive compulsive disorder
- Rumination in sleep disorders and insomnia
- Rumination in eating disorders
- Rumination in pain disorder
- rumination hypochondria
- Rumination in substance use disorder
What is the cause of mental rumination syndrome?
As always happens in the field of psychology and mental health, previous experiences have a lot to do with it. So this type of thinking and cognitive style is often influenced by early experiences that may be related to previous trauma.
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And it is that, although we have all experienced what it is like to turn over and over to the same thing in our minds, the real problem arises when this method of thought is constantly repeated in time as a method of dealing with the problem, idea or concern. It is still a passive coping style that is not focused on solutions and that only leads to greater concern.
This is a cognitive style that may be related to a self-learned coping style. family atmosphere or also associated with self-esteem problems or processes of anxiety or depression.
How to deal with mental rumination syndrome?
First of all, it is important that if you have suspicions of suffering from this syndrome and anxiety, stress and negative thoughts are part of your day to day, do not hesitate to put yourself in the hands of an expert psychologist. In therapy you can learn the Necessary emotional management toolsas well as starting to work on your emotions, understanding their meaning and learning tools to deal with them and to make decisions.
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A new thinking style that will help you gain personal security and self-esteem, thinking about the present, being aware that you are not your thoughts, promoting release of endorphins through physical exercise and making a action plan to face the problem and solve it.
Tips to start taking care of yourself and your mental health
Whatever the circumstances, It is always a good time to learn to take care of yourself. and to worry about one’s own health and well-being. There are many different things that can be done to improve mental health and specifically, we are going to detail those recommended by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIH).
Seven personal care tips that can help you improve your quality of life and both your physical and mental health. Don’t forget that when it comes to mental health, self-care can go a long way in managing stressreduce the risk of disease and increase our energy.
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Every act of self-care in your day to day can have a great impact on your mental health. These are some of the tips that will help you to achieve it:
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Exercise regularly: Signing up for the gym, starting a sport, going for a run or simply reserving 30 minutes a day to walk can help you a lot to improve your mood and your health.
Eat healthy and hydrate: Something as simple as ensuring a balanced diet and staying sufficiently hydrated can greatly improve the amount of energy we have throughout the day, in addition to greatly benefiting our health. As for the intake of caffeinated drinks, soft drinks or coffee, it is best that you limit them.
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A good rest is key: sleeping the necessary hours, in addition to making us feel rested and helping us recover energy, is vital for the development of learning, memory and also to get away from anxiety and depression.
In fact, there are several studies that show that lack of sleep causes discomfort and irritability, increasing the chances of suffering from anxiety disorder and depression. To do this, avoid the light of the telephone or television before going to bed.
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Include some relaxing activity: today there are countless programs, applications and activities dedicated to relaxation and well-being that can help you relax on a daily basis. Incorporating meditation, muscle relaxation, or breathing exercises can also help you achieve this.
Establish goals and priorities: Do not stop being aware of what you want to achieve, what you can expect from it and what you achieve and achieve every day. Any small step can be motivating to take the next one. Also learn to say “no” when there is a new task that you feel is beyond your limits.
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Focus on the positive and be grateful to yourself: Another equally important task is to be able to identify those negative and useless thoughts that prevent you from moving forward and directly challenge them to focus on the positive.
Practice being grateful to yourself, for this you can write at the end of the day what you are grateful for in your day to day and reproduce it later in your mind.
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Lean on your circle of friends and family: the emotional support that your friends and family can give you is also essential and if you consider it necessary, you can also rely on the help of a specialist psychologist who can give you the best tools and advice to work even more deeply on your mental health and well-being.
Especially if you experience difficulty sleeping, appetite changes, difficulty concentrating, loss of interest in things, or inability to carry out your daily responsibilities, do not hesitate to seek professional help and do not wait for the symptoms to get worse.
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