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Are You A Ruminator?

If you’re stuck in a bad mood, you might be ruminating. It’s a thinking style many women share. To find out, answer the questions below:

1. Do you feel your distressing emotion more intensely the more you think about it, but continue to think about it anyway?

2. Do you replay upsetting events in your mind over and over?

3. Do you worry that others might reject you because of how you feel?

4. Do you focus on your unpleasant feelings more than what you can do to feel better?

5. Do you focus on the body symptoms of your distressing emotion (tiredness or headache) without taking action to relieve your symptoms?

If you answered “YES” to one or more questions, you may be ruminating. If so, take action toward solving your problem or try one of these three emotional tools: move your body, use thought-shifting to cross-examine your thoughts or try a meditative activity like this one:

Close your eyes. Take a deep breath and bring all of your attention to the sensations of your breathing. Continue breathing in and out. When your mind wanders back to your worries, gently redirect it to your breath. Do this five times.

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